Richard Foster believes Lawrence Shankland is the ideal starting point as Rangers look to re-establish a strong Scottish core at Ibrox.
The club has already made a major statement by snapping up the Hearts striker, and former defender Foster is confident the 30-year-old can deliver immediately.
He said: “It’ll be interesting to see what they do in terms of who they sign. They’ve obviously signed Shankland, who’s the best goalscorer in the league. [Daily Record]
"He’s going to get more chances at Rangers than he did at Hearts, with all respect. If he keeps up the form he’s in just now, he’s going to score 20-plus goals.
“I know that’s putting huge pressure on him, but he is capable; he showed that at Hearts.”
Rangers are targeting more homegrown additions, with Dundee’s Luke Graham and Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt among those linked, as they aim to build a stronger Scottish spine alongside Connor Barron, John Souttar and Liam Kelly.
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Foster believes that identity is crucial to success in Glasgow. “I think it’s massive,” he said. “Typically the best Celtic and Rangers teams I played against always had that core of Scottish players.
“They understand the demands, and they understand that going away from home and drawing a game is not a good result. You have to win every single game.
“When you have that core and then add players from different places who bring flair and quality, that’s when you get the balance right.”
He added: “Rangers didn’t have a lot of Scottish players. It was hard for me to see any kind of Scottish mentality. Scottish people are different, it’s more intense. The fans live for their football, and sometimes players coming from outside don’t fully get that.”
Foster also reckons Shankland’s leadership qualities could quickly come to the fore — and even put him in the frame for the captaincy. “He is a big character and was captain of Hearts,” he said. “He’ll be a contender to be captain at Rangers.
“If you’re thinking about an identity of what you want your team to be, that’s it. He’s a leader, and he showed that all season.”
