Steven Naismith has insisted his former Hearts player Cammy Devlin has the mentality required to be a success at Rangers - and stressed the Australian internationalist has key qualities which the Ibrox club have missed badly in recent seasons.
The central midfielder, who joined the Glasgow giants on a free transfer earlier this month, has impressed supporters greatly with his assured performances in their friendly matches against St-Etienne and West Ham.
Naismith, who won six major honours during the five seasons that he spent in Govan in the late 2000s and early 2010s, has been unsurprised the 28-year-old, who he worked with during his time in charge at Tynecastle, has made an early impact.
Speaking at a William Hill promotional event in Glasgow ahead of Rangers’ opening Premiership match against Dundee United at Tannadice on Friday night, he predicted that Devlin will continue to shine.
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“He had an excellent season at Hearts last season,” he said. “His importance showed when he was out of the team. He is tenacious, he has energy, he has character. He has a warm personality that is infectious.
“There are parts of his game that are really good. There are not many who match him. He is somebody who will definitely maximise his career because of his work rate and his attitude.
“Let’s see how it goes. The task is a bit different at Rangers with the demands on you and the exposure being greater. But I am confident that he will be able to deal with that. I think there will be certain games where he will be a real asset.
“I am not sure you can say that any player has the ability to play at the top end of the Scottish game until they are in it. Quality players come up and fail. But he has the work rate, the tenaciousness and the character he needs to be a success at Rangers.”
Naismith continued, “As he matures with age he will get better in possession. He will be calmer and will make better passes. He takes the ball in certain positions and that will become easier.
“His energy at times was a problem when he was younger. He won the ball back and was in such a rush that he gave it back. But he will make better choices and become a better footballer. I saw that last season especially, his in-possession stuff was better than it had been.
“Inside the changing room he is still a young player. He will not be the most experienced. He is one of the guys in the team who is warm, gets everybody involved and keeps it alive. He has brilliant traits.
“Rangers have lacked that on the pitch over the years. In games at certain times you do need to defend and make sure you are solid. He will be there. I can totally understand why Derek McInnes has signed him.”
Naismith saw multi-million pound signings struggle to deal with life in the Glasgow goldfish bowl during his time at Rangers – but the former Hearts manager expects Devlin to revel in his new surroundings.
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“Mentality is important,” he said. “I think Rangers have signed good players over the last few years. It is the mentality, dealing with the expectation, the scrutiny, which is important.
“Drawing is not good enough. When players come in they need to know that drawing away with Dundee, Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts, isn’t good enough. In most other clubs in most other leagues, drawing away is a decent result. At Rangers it isn’t.
“If you know it isn’t good enough when you step in the door that is a good starting point. I was in changing rooms at Rangers when players were upbeat after a draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. I would say, ‘No, it’s not good enough’.
“That is the part that a lot of players miss when they come. Rangers have not signed bad players, they have brought in quality. It is just that braveness, that mental strength to play under real pressure, that is needed.”
Steven Naismith was speaking at the launch of William Hill's Final One Standing - Scottish football's ultimate free-to-play predictor game.
