Early impressions as Rangers £12M winger Skov Olsen gets subbed | OneFootball

It is safe to say that Andreas Skov Olsen has not quite jumped to life at Ibrox. He has not played much club football since November, and many fans are using that as a reason. That is a justifiable point. He has kept himself fit, he has been training, he has not been injured. He has not been playing regular club football, so it will take time to get up to speed.

Fitness is not the full explanation

The issue is that players who arrive at Rangers with hunger and appetite usually look ready straight away. Even when they lack match minutes, they look sharp, aggressive and eager to make an impact. What normally happens is that they run out of puff earlier. They last 40 minutes, then 50, then maybe 60. That is the usual pattern for quality players short on football. Skov Olsen does not look like that. He looks off the pace. We like him in theory and we want him to succeed. But he looks well below the tempo.

Scottish football exposes weakness

Scottish football is quick. It is blood and thunder, similar to English football. Anyone who has seen player view level Premier League footage understands how fast the game really is. Scotland is not that elite level, but it is still sharp and unforgiving. Skov Olsen looked below that pace. There is time to adjust, but Rangers do not have time. Nor do Celtic, for that matter. Across the city, new signings often hit the ground running. At Rangers, they rarely do.

Pressure from day one

At Rangers, players are slow to adapt, if they ever do. New signings take too long to settle. At Celtic, even when the team struggles, new arrivals often shine immediately. We hope Andreas Skov Olsen adapts quickly. His Wolfsburg spell failed, but you do not play repeatedly for Denmark or carry a £12M valuation for nothing. He was outstanding at Bruges and excellent in Denmark. He can play. But Rangers is different. The pressure is instant. We hope he finds his rhythm soon, because time is ruthless at Rangers.