‘He Does You, You’re Done’ – Rangers Star Talked Up By Defender But Key Attribute Still Needed | OneFootball

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Stephen O’Donnell has talked up the qualities of Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti and thinks if he could just add the touch of Lawrence Shankland he would be top drawer.

Chermiti endured an early struggle to settle into life in Glasgow after arriving last summer on a big money deal, but began to find his footing during the second half of the campaign.

However, concerns around Chermiti never entirely disappeared, with former Rangers star Alex Rae voicing his reservations over the striker’s ability to consistently find the net back in March.

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Chermiti’s appeal was nonetheless evident, with clubs having tried to prise the Portuguese away from Ibrox during the winter window before carrying that into summer as well.

The striker’s future consequently remained uncertain until an ACL injury suffered last month abruptly changed the picture, ruling him out for an extended period.

Sharing his thoughts on Chermiti, O’Donnell admitted he was disappointed by the possibility of the striker being sold, while suggesting he could become a genuine threat if he can sharpen his finishing in the final third in the manner of Shankland.

He highlighted Chermiti’s physical presence and flair, although he pointed to the forward’s tendency to overhit the final pass or miss the target and underlined that his injury represents a huge setback for Rangers.

Motherwell defender O’Donnell said on The Go Radio Football Show (41.50): “The person I was disappointed, I know there was talk to maybe try and sell Chermiti.

“But if he could get that Shankland touch in the final third with the finishing.

“He has got all the attributes; he is a right problem.

“He is tall, he is strong – at times last season he did those tricks and flicks and then he does you, you’re done.

“But then maybe he would overhit the last pass or miss the target.

“And that [his injury] is a blow for them as well.”

Alongside Chermiti, Shankland has also been sidelined recently, with the Scotland international expected to be out for up to four months.

The onus is now on Kevin Kelsy, Bojan Miovski and Ryan Naderi to provide the goals, with Kelsy giving an early indication he is ready to step up by scoring in Sunday’s 3-0 rout of Celtic at Ibrox.