Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill’s comments on Kyle Lafferty are full of touching praise for the Rangers striker.
Lafferty signed for Rangers from Hearts in the summer, and since announced it had been over a year since he gambled. Lafferty had previously struggled with a gambling addiction that threatened to curtail his career and his life.
That’s now all been put in his rear-view mirror thankfully. O’Neill has been a close observer of how his star-striker has gone about his business recently. The pair are good friends and keep in regular contact.
And O’Neill, touching on a variety of Kyle Lafferty subjects in the Scotsman, heaped praise on his number one striker.
“I know Kyle Lafferty is in a really good place right now. During the international break he was at the hotel with Vanessa and Sienna, his new baby daughter, and he looked very happy.
“He’s been very open about with his battle with gambling and it’s great to see he seems to be on top of that now. Hearts was the right move at the right time for Kyle but his ambition has always been to get back to Rangers.
“But I do think Kyle is a more content with life now. And that can only be good for Rangers and Northern Ireland.”
Lafferty has a huge part to play in Rangers’ hopes this season. Tasked with helping Alfredo Morelos on the goals front, he has a big opportunity to announce his arrival against Villarreal on Thursday night.
The Northern Irishman had previously left his mark on Motherwell several weeks ago. A brace at Fir Park remain the only two goals Lafferty has scored since arriving at Ibrox this summer.
More importantly, however, he seems to have gotten over his demons that plagued him horribly in the past. Lafferty has had a plethora of support from supporters and key figures in the game.
Hearts manager Craig Levein was a big influence on the striker during his time at Hearts, as well as O’Neill.
There’s now no denying the attitude and thought-process of the man who Steven Gerrard signed up. In the long-term, he’ll have a huge physical presence to the Rangers strike-force.
Many supporters didn’t take to the Northern Irishman during his first spell at Ibrox. Despite scoring some big title-winning goals, the forward struggled for consistency.
It’s important to remember, however, that Lafferty is a much better player now than he was back then. International experience with O’Neill’s Northern Ireland has helped him massively in recent years.
Playing regularly has clearly helped the big front-man overcome his threatening demons. Now, he can concentrate once more on being a Rangers hero again.
