McInnes backs Shankland to deliver for Rangers after slow start
Rangers manager Derek McInnes has thrown his full weight behind Lawrence Shankland, insisting the striker is "too good not to score regularly" and will have a "big influence" at Ibrox whether he starts games or not. The endorsement comes with Shankland having found the net just once in five appearances since his summer move from Hearts (BBC Sport).
Shankland was used as a substitute in Rangers' 5-1 Premier Sports Cup win over St Mirren — their first victory of the season. That result was a relief for McInnes, whose wait for a maiden win as Rangers boss had stretched through a frustrating opening to the campaign. A 1-1 draw at Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership opener was followed by a 2-1 home defeat to Hibernian, with Callum Wright's late winner leaving Ibrox in grim mood (BBC Sport; BBC Sport).
The St Mirren win offered something different. Ryan Naderi, handed a start by McInnes, opened the scoring. Nico Raskin captained the side. Five goals, a clean sheet until injury time, and the first real sense that McInnes's rebuild is beginning to take shape (BBC Sport).
Shankland is one of 11 new signings at Rangers this summer, part of an overhaul McInnes deemed necessary. The manager had said the club needed "ready-made" players to "meet demands" this season (Sky Sports). He also admitted Rangers were "playing with fire" as they chased a left-back, another striker, and further reinforcements, with Youssef Chermiti's long-term injury leaving a gap up front (Sky Sports; BBC Sport).
For Shankland, the move to Ibrox reunites him with the manager who got the best out of him at Hearts. The 31-year-old scored 22 goals last season working under McInnes in Edinburgh, earning both the transfer and the trust that comes with it. He signed an initial two-year deal with Rangers in late May, ahead of Scotland's World Cup duty, and was subsequently handed the Ibrox captain's armband by McInnes — a statement of faith from a manager who knows exactly what his striker can do (Sky Sports; Rangers.co.uk; Sky Sports).
One goal in five is not the return either man would have wanted. But McInnes's public backing is deliberate — a reminder that Shankland's pedigree is proven, not promised. Twenty-two goals in a season under the same manager is not a fluke. The question for Rangers fans is when, not if, that scoring touch returns.
Shankland himself said he was pleased to be working with McInnes again (Rangers.co.uk). The St Mirren rout was the first sign that the pieces around him are starting to click. If they do, the goals should follow.
