Steven Gerrard has scoured Britain in his bid to find a third hitman to help Rangers shoot down Celtic.
From London to Livingston, Lyle Taylor and Lyndon Dykes are two strikers at the top of the list as Ibrox boss Gerrard looks to tool up ahead of a do-or-die season like no other.
Both have proved themselves as goalscoring target men at opposite ends of the country in the last season.
But could they handle the heat of the Old Firm battle? Would they add a new dimension to Gerrard’s options or even provide a new focal point should the Ibrox club decide to cash in on Alfredo Morelos?
One man who knows exactly what it’s like to play with Taylor, 30, and Dykes, 24, is Chris Erskine.
Over the years he has been tasked with providing the ammo for both after teaming up with Taylor at Partick Thistle and Dykes last season at Livingston.
But who does Erskine reckon is a better fit for Gerrard’s side?
Record Sport caught up with the forward who’s just left Livi to get the lowdown on Lyndon and Lyle.
Lyndon Dykes
He has been a revelation since moving to Livingston from Queen of the South last year.
The frontman scored 12 goals in 33 appearances and was a standout against Celtic. At 24 he has youth on his side and so, importantly, a sell-on value.
With two years left on his contract in West Lothian, Dykes is rated at £2million by Livi. But Celtic are also said to be interested and Erskine isn’t surprised.
He said: “Lyndon is more aggressive than Lyle and he likes that physical side of the battle. Again he has a bit of everything and importantly has youth on his side.
“He brings people into play, he’s good on the ball, scores goals but he is also very physical and quick.
“I was surprised with him this year. I had thought he was decent at Queen of the South but what he’s done at Livingston is brilliant.
“The targetman position up front suits him to a tee and he has proved against Celtic and Rangers he is a real handful.Lyndon is the same in training, he has a right good mentality about him. He works so hard and has a hunger to be the best he can be.
“He’s had to work hard at his game since it never worked out for him the first time at Queens. But he went back to Australia and clearly grafted and came back hungry to prove himself.
“I think Lyndon would be a really good fit for Rangers.
“He is a different player to Morelos but he has the same attributes too in that he likes to ruffle defenders up. He has quality and pace as well.
“He’s definitely got a big future. It would be good to see him stay at Livingston and help them push on but I think he would be a good option for anyone in the Premiership.”
Lyle Taylor
The frontman is headline news down south as he refuses to play for Charlton in the final weeks of his contract and with the Championship campaign set to return from the coronavirus lockdown.
Taylor, who has scored 180 career goals in 447 appearances, argues an injury now could scupper his last big chance of a move this summer.
Erskine reckons the Englishman is a class act. He said: “When I played with Lyle at Thistle he was brilliant.
“One game in particular sticks in my head against Aberdeen at Firhill where he gave Russell Anderson and Mark Reynolds a torrid time and scored two goals in a 3-1 win. It made people sit up and take notice.
“But I knew all about Lyle from playing against him when he was at Falkirk.
“We were both up for Player of the Year in the Championship. He had scored about 30 goals so he got the award and, to be fair, he has scored everywhere he’s played since.
“Lyle has a bit of everything. He’s good at bringing other players into play, good ability on the ball, clever movement.
“He’s maybe not the most aggressive but still quite big and obviously he knows how to score goals.
“It’s hard to tell how anyone would handle playing for a club the size of Rangers but you can see with the way he is handling himself in the media just now that he is confident in his own ability so I don’t see any reason why he would struggle if he went there.
“I understand his dilemma. He is still under contract and he probably should be playing the
games but in a normal world he has finished his games and he is winding down and getting ready to go somewhere else. It’s not a normal situation.”
