African striker Fashion Sakala Jnr finally delivered on the big stage for Rangers, a mere five months since arriving at the club from Oostende.
The striker scored a hattrick in a vital away win against Motherwell which stretched Rangers lead at the top of the table to four points.
There was also some significance in this, however. He is only the third African to score a Premier League hattrick for the club, South African Johnny Hubbard scoring one v Celtic in 1955 and Nigerian Sone Aluko scoring the first in a 4-0 win over St Johnstone way back in May 2012.
Although Aluko’s stay at the club was short, he provided some memorable moments.
Scoring in a clash against Celtic in March 2012 – which helped prevent our Old Firm rivals from winning the league at Ibrox – shortly after the club was put into administration, this will go down with the Rangers faithful as a fleeting moment of joy before the impending storm.
Fashion Jnr has joined an elite club, joining Aluko, and this surely won’t be his last hattrick for the club. This was only the third league start for Sakala Jnr and he certainly made his presence felt.
The African has had a mixed start in Glasgow, after scoring against Real Madrid in a preseason friendly, he has struggled domestically, until the game against Motherwell.
He certainly took the opportunity presented to him by Steven Gerrard and this performance may do wonders for the young striker’s confidence.
Will this improve his chances of a start against Brondby in the Europa League on Thursday? With Morelos not hitting his usual high standards recently, it is looking increasingly likely that it might.
We now know that Sakala Jnr has what it takes to make the grade at Rangers, it’s just a case of kicking on from here and proving to the manager why he signed him.
Here’s how Rangers supporters reacted to the striker’s performance as they lauded his contribution to the side against Motherwell.