Alex McLeish has backed Cedric Itten to use his Bundesliga loan spell to kickstart his Rangers career.
The Swiss frontman joined Greuther Furth on a season long loan deal on deadline day and scored on his first appearances in a friendly win.
There is an option to buy for the German side although Rangers can recall him in January if they decide they need him for the second half of the campaign.
And McLeish admits that losing a striker from their squad might not be the best thing for Steven Gerrard as he looks to retain the title.
But he reckons that it can be better for Itten in the long run if he can get a season of first team football in a top league under his belt before getting back to Ibrox a better player.
He told Football Insider: “It’s one less striker, and their depth up front was what got credited as a big factor in their title win.
“But Itten has not had a lot of game time. His legs aren’t there in terms of the sharpness you need to be a striker.
“If he can get more game time in Germany then who knows? He could come back a better and more confident player for Rangers and be more of a threat in Scotland.
“In the Bundesliga, there are 6 to 10 clubs who are competing for European competitions. It’s a really high level of football.”
