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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Jonny McFarlane

Kenny Miller pinpoints the Kyogo factor that Danilo can offer Rangers

Rangers need a striker - and £6m signing Danilo can be that man, according to former talisman Kenny Miller.

The Brazilian has struggled with injury since arriving from Feyenoord but is now fit and looked sharp during a substitute appearance against Sparta Prague.

With Cyriel Dessers struggling as an Ibrox focal point, Miller is sure that Danilo can do for Rangers what Japanese hitman Kyogo has done for Celtic.

And while the pundit is keen not to draw too close a comparison between the two, he can see the potential impact such a level of performance would have on his old team.

He told the Daily Record: "When I look at Clement’s squad right now, my best front four would be Danilo up top, with Todd Cantwell, Tom Lawrence and Abdellah Sima in behind him. Along with Jack Butland, Sima has been the other major positive in terms of recruitment. He’s on an incredible run of scoring form and, in Prague, Clement asked him to do a job for the team that was probably foreign to him.

"But you know what? He did it. He put a real shift in at left wing-back, while also trying to create going forward. Clement has found his best position, on the left of Rangers’ attack – and he’s thriving in it. Sima took a bit of time to settle down at Ibrox but he’s now one of the team’s key players.

"It could be a similar story with Danilo. The new gaffer hasn’t been able to get those two, along with Cantwell and Lawrence, in the same team yet. But Danilo is gradually getting fit and when he came off the bench against Sparta in midweek – again, he offered something.

"He hit the bar, showed good movement, got a few shots off – all things Dessers hadn’t done before being subbed. Listen, let’s not get carried away. I’m not saying Danilo is going to be the next Ally McCoist or Kris Boyd.

"But I’ve seen genuine flashes that he could be a real positive for Clement moving forward. The Rangers fans need hope. And Danilo offers them a bit of that. With the transfer fee the club paid for him, they’re entitled to expect him to produce. He’s a good footballer, his record and career so far shows that.

"If he gets up to full speed, he has the qualities and behaviours in his play to do the kind of job Kyogo does for Celtic. He’s got energy, movement, can score goals – and he’s willing to work. If Danilo can be that focal point for Rangers, where he presses teams hard and quick and threatens in behind – like Kyogo does – he can have a similar influence.

"We’ve been saying for over a year now that Rangers need a player like that. Could Danilo be that guy? Could he have the same impact at Ibrox as Kyogo had two years ago? The Rangers fans will certainly hope so."

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