If Philippe Clement had a fully fit squad to choose from, there is every chance that Sam Lammers would currently be sitting on the bench for Rangers waiting for his chance.
Before the 5-0 thrashing of Dundee, he had just one goal and one assist to his name in close to 20 games, hardly the return expected of a £3m forward.
The new manager has brought a freshness to the club though and Sam Lammers is one of the Rangers players to benefit with Philippe Clement explaining one quality that makes the Dutchman a useful member of his squad to Sky Sports.
Sam Lammers qualities explained by Rangers boss Clement
Lammers was bought from Atalanta, predominantly, to be a creative force in the final third and to score goals.
Michael Beale had followed his career since he was in the Eredivisie and before he made a £9m move to Serie A and had hoped to resurrect a career that was stalling.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go according to plan but Clement seems to know how to get the best out of the 26-year old.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Gers boss explained another quality that gives Sam Lammers the nod over other forwards:
“He’s somebody with really good technical qualities, he’s also somebody with height.
“He’s a tall guy so, Scottish football you need also enough tall people for the set pieces.
“The opponents who are waiting for that, for transitions and set pieces.
“We need to keep a balance in our squad also in that way, that we don’t have too many smaller players and we come into trouble because of that.
“He’s someone with good technical qualities who can score goals.”
The timing of Sam Lammers scoring a screamer for Rangers couldn’t have come at a better time after his former PSV Eindhoven coach Kevin Hofland backed him to come good.
Had Lammers scored the guilt edged chances that he has been presented with so far, his numbers would look a lot better and nobody, really, would have cause for complaint.
Clement is right, it might sound simple but, there are teams in the SPFL who are packed with 6ft plus players who set out with a simple and direct game plan.
Sam Lammers, for his faults, is decent in the air but he is a useful option for Rangers in either box.
It makes sense what the manager is saying, but if he can score and create goals like the ones he did against Dundee, then his height will be irrelevant.
