Derek McInnes Backs Lawrence Shankland to Shine at Rangers

Derek McInnes is backing Lawrence Shankland to become a decisive figure at Rangers, insisting the striker is “too good not to score regularly” despite a modest start to life at Ibrox.

Shankland has managed just one goal in five appearances since his summer move and watched the bulk of Sunday’s 5-1 League Cup win over St Mirren from the bench, with his manager opting to start Ryan Naderi instead. The German repaid that call by opening the scoring, while Nico Raskin wore the armband.

McInnes, though, is in no mood to indulge any early doubts about his captain.

“When you have a player like Lawrence, who knows his way around the penalty box and how to score goals, I do not worry too much about it,” he said. “Sometimes people can over emphasise these things. For me, it is a case of letting him play his natural game.

“The best strikers have that instinctive side to their game, where everything looks natural and seamless. I have no doubt he will do well here.”

McInnes knows exactly what Shankland can produce. The 31-year-old hit 22 goals for Hearts last season under the same manager, form that helped drive his move to Ibrox and cement his place in the Scotland squad.

That past relationship allowed McInnes to be blunt when the captaincy came up.

“I said that when I spoke to Lawrence,” he explained. “Being captain does not guarantee anything, and he accepted that. He is not going to stamp his feet about it.

“Having worked with Lawrence before, he is a brilliant captain and a brilliant boy. You want your captain to have a big influence on and off the pitch, and I believe Lawrence will have that.”

For now, that influence may come in different ways – leadership in the dressing room, pressure on places, a late cameo rather than a guaranteed start. McInnes is adamant the goals will follow once Shankland settles into his new surroundings and rhythm.

Raskin praised amid transfer noise

While Shankland’s role is under the microscope, Raskin’s future is the subject of speculation. The Belgium midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away, yet McInnes painted a picture of a player fully locked into the job at hand.

“Every player's got a price,” he said of the 25-year-old. “Every player has got a time where it maybe suits them to move on, suits the club or whatever.

“But I think it's important for me to say that Nico's been a dream since we came in, in terms of how he's set about his work, and he doesn't look like a boy who's distracted in any way with that.

“I've no doubt there's a lot of stuff going on in the background with him. I just need to play it by ear really to be honest. I'm enjoying working with him.”

Raskin’s response to the noise has been to lead the side and set the tone in training, a key factor as Rangers try to build on their first win of the season and stabilise after a stuttering start.

Jablonec test as Rangers chase Europe

Attention now turns to Europe and a Conference League play-off that already feels significant. Rangers host Jablonec in the first leg on Thursday, facing a Czech side arriving in Glasgow on a six-game winning run.

McInnes refused to declare a clear favourite.

“It's difficult to really assess who are the favourites,” he admitted. “It's just a game that we put the emphasis on ourselves to go and win.

“They're clearly a well-organised team. They've got a few good individuals who can make the game a bit more problematic for you, but we feel as though we've got a good handle on what they are.

“They can change from shape to shape a lot even within the same personnel so we've got to be ready for that.”

The message is simple: sort out Rangers first, deal with Jablonec second.

“I'm just really trying to concentrate on us finding our level and us getting big performances,” McInnes said. “If we can do that then, although I'm expecting a tough game, I expect it to be tougher for them.”

If Shankland catches fire and Raskin keeps his head amid the rumours, that expectation might not be misplaced.