Derek McInnes Defends Lawrence Shankland's Role at Rangers

Derek McInnes insists Lawrence Shankland will be a major figure at Rangers this season – whether he is in the starting XI or not.

The Rangers manager, who made Shankland his captain at Hearts and handed him the armband again after their joint move to Ibrox in the summer, pushed back at any suggestion the striker’s slow start should trigger alarm.

Shankland has yet to catch fire in Govan and watched most of Sunday’s 5-1 League Cup win over St Mirren from the bench, with midfielder Nico Raskin leading the team out instead. The Scotland forward replaced him in the second half but could not add to his single Rangers goal so far, a penalty against Jagiellonia in the Europa League qualifiers.

Captaincy Debate

For McInnes, the debate around the captaincy is noise.

“I said that when I spoke to Lawrence. Being captain does not guarantee anything, and he accepted that,” he explained ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Conference League play-off first leg against Jablonec at Ibrox. “He is not going to stamp his feet about it. Somebody has to be club captain and, having worked with Lawrence before, he is a brilliant captain and a brilliant boy.

“He has a lot to offer. People can maybe look too much into it. You want your captain to have a big influence on and off the pitch, and I believe Lawrence will have that. For me, it is a non-question, although I understand why people might see more in it.”

Shankland’s Form

Shankland’s form in front of goal has been the other talking point. One strike so far in Rangers colours is a modest return for a forward who routinely hit 20-plus league goals at Hearts. McInnes, though, refuses to be drawn into any early-season drama.

“When you have a player like Lawrence, who knows his way around the penalty box and how to score goals, I do not worry too much about it,” he said. “He is too good not to score regularly. He has consistently shown that over a period of time in the Premiership, with 20-odd goals a season at Hearts.

“Sometimes people can overemphasise these things. For me, it is a case of letting him play his natural game. The best strikers have that instinctive side to their game, where everything looks natural and seamless. I have no doubt he will do well here.”

Squad Building

While Shankland battles to rediscover his usual rhythm, Rangers’ squad building under McInnes continues at pace.

Earlier in the day, the club confirmed the arrival of Kosta Nedeljkovic from Aston Villa on a season-long loan, with an obligation to buy. The 20-year-old Serbia international becomes McInnes’ 11th signing of a busy summer and will immediately compete with Dujon Sterling and Ross McCrorie for the right-back slot.

That area of the pitch had been ringed in red ink for months.

“It was a position we identified at the start of pre-season. We looked at various options,” McInnes said. “The club had been reliant on Dujon, who has had his history of injuries, so we wanted to bring in a different type of full-back.

“I’ve got a high opinion of Dujon, but with Kosta you get a player similar to Vanja (Dragojevic) in a full-back position: real enthusiasm, athleticism and the ability to get up and down the pitch. He shows good quality and a real eagerness to play the role.

“As a young player, there will still be areas to improve, but we’re looking forward to helping him develop.”

Shankland’s goals, Nedeljkovic’s energy, a European tie under the lights at Ibrox – McInnes has the pieces. Now comes the test of how quickly Rangers can make them fit.