Ask some Rangers fans and they’ll tell you that Lawrence Shankland was the difference between the Ibrox side clinching the title last season, and bottling it at the final hurdle.
Philippe Clement somehow steered his underperforming Rangers team back into a title race after taking over in October only to see his team blow it in the final stages.
But there are some amongst the Rangers support that believe that the Ibrox draw with Celtic and those bitter results against Dundee and Ross County might not have happened with the right firepower.
Lawrence Shankland – named last season’s Player of the Year and a boyhood bluenose to boot – was seen as the answer to many supporters.
But as Rangers prepare to welcome Hearts to Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership, the Hearts talisman’s form has fallen off a cliff, belying chatter of £5m valuations.
Lawrence Shankland having baron season
Hearts start to the season was so bad under Steven Naismith that the former Rangers striker was eventually axed and replaced with Neil Critchley.
Hearts have since experienced an upturn in fortunes under the former Steven Gerrard assistant, who insists he has a plan to take all three points against Rangers at Ibrox.
But what the 46-year-old manager has been unable to do is get the stuttering Lawrence Shankland back fit and firing as the Scotland international stumbles through the season.
A paltry return of one goal in 17 games has heaped the pressure on the 29-year-old striker, who is out of contract at Tynecastle come the end of the season.
Drawing another blank as Hearts succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League this week, the pressure is rising on the striker in Edinburgh.
Since that solitary strike in the 1-1 draw with Ross County in late September, Shankland is also on a run of eight games without a goal.
With Rangers’ financial situation well-documented, perhaps the decision not to move for Shankland in the midst of his 31-goal campaign last season has proven a fiscally responsible one.
Whilst some Rangers fans might grumble, Hearts CEO Andrew McKinlay has previously claimed that there was ‘never any hint’ of an approach from the Gers for the striker.
Rangers-linked striker admits ‘it’s not happening’
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland also took responsibility for fluffing his lines in that defeat to Bundesliga outfit Heidenheim this week.
The Rangers-linked Scotland star hasn’t found his shooting boots all season long and was once again found wanting on the European stage.
A despondent Shankland admitted that it’s ‘not happening’ for himself at the minute and insists a failure to ‘get a result’ rests on his shoulders.
“It does feel like a missed opportunity,” Shankland said come full time. “They are a good team playing at a good level and it was a challenge for us.
“But overall the performance was good and we created enough chances for myself.
“That one is on me. I should be sticking them away, so it’s disappointing.
“The first half was a bit gung ho and we had to go after them.
“They kept us running, but then we came back into it after a 15-minute lull in the second half.
“We finished strong and there was another good chance for me.
“Unfortunately, it’s not happening at the minute.
“The new manager wants us to be on the front foot all the time and that will take time for the team to switch.
“But we have been doing well and had some strong performances since he came in.
“This was another one and if I had taken my chances, we would have got a result.”
