Hamza Igamane has been a bright spark in a season that has so far failed to ignite for Rangers.
Philippe Clement came under fire for not blooding the young Moroccan sooner, however, the manager has been vindicated given the current levels that the 22-year old is hitting.
After arriving at Ibrox with an injury, Igamane is now firing on all cylinders but Rangers fans won’t be happy to hear about the striker’s plans for the future.
Hamza Igamane hopes Rangers impact can lead to lifty heights
Speaking to Le 360 Sport in his homeland, the on-form forward has lofty ambitions:
“Like any Moroccan footballer, my dream is to pull on the Morocco national team’s shirt,” said Igamane, who has already been tipped for a call-up.
“I equally want to help my club as much as possible.
“And, as a consequence, to play for a big club in Europe.”
We’ll let him off with the suggestion that Rangers aren’t a ‘big’ club because it is easy to understand what he means.
The top echelons of European football are lightyears away from the Light Blues in terms of finance and regular participation in the Champions League.
Did Rangers nearly miss out on Igamane signing?
His teammates couldn’t hold out long enough to see him take the acclaim as the matchwinner against Hibs, but the dramatic draw didn’t take away how special the hat-trick was for Hamza Igamane:
“The match against Hibs was very special for me,” said Igamane.
“Scoring a hat-trick for Rangers is a huge source of pride for me.
“It proves that hard work pays off. I hope to follow on from my success, and help the team in the upcoming games.
“Rangers first contacted me during that time, and I thought my move was off after my injury.
“A lot of scenarios crossed my mind, but my agent told me Rangers still believed in me. Philippe Clement also confirmed his interest.
“Being able to play in Europe is a dream for any Moroccan player, and Rangers offered me the chance to do so.
“I believed in their project – and the manager showed his faith in me from the first time we were in contact.”
If Igamane continues to work as hard and keeps up the same goal scoring rate, he could end up at any club he wants, as long as he stays just a little while longer.
The patience from Rangers has been proven to be the right call.
Clement has reassuringly said that he won’t be sold anytime soon, although after throwing him under a bus against Dundee, Igamane might be knocking on his door.
What Rangers need to do is sell at the right moment and avoid a similar situation to the man Igamane has been compared to – Alfredo Morelos.
