Cyriel Dessers is not the only player who has been usurped at Rangers by one of Nils Koppen’s more successful summer signings.
Despite falling from first choice to third in late-2024, Dessers has no complaints with Hamza Igamane’s role as Philippe Clement’s go-to number nine these days.
Igamane has nine goals in just 12 Scottish Premiership starts, after all. And, rather than throw his proverbial toys out of the pram and slap down a transfer request, Dessers has instead taken Igamane under his wing. A man nearly a decade his senior attempting to impart some of his experience on Rangers’ rising star.
This was supposed to be the season in which Ross McCausland blossomed into a regular, week-in week-out starter at Rangers, meanwhile.
Instead, the Northern Ireland international has not featured in Clement’s XI since the end of October. And while McCausland admits his lack of minutes has been ‘frustrating’, he also understands why the Rangers boss is reluctant to remove Vaclav Cerny from his team sheet.
The VFL Wolfsburg loanee is just one shy of 20 goals and assists this term.
And, with Cerny’s long term future uncertain, McCausland is keen to jot down as many lessons as he can from the silky Czech schemer.
Ross McCausland blown away by ‘incredible’ Vaclav Cerny
“Keeping myself motivated? I think, as a footballer you need to. There are going to be periods in your career where you are not going to play,” McCausland explains ahead of Rangers’ Scottish Cup fourth round tie with Highland League outfit Fraserburgh on Sunday.
“I am not playing as much as I would like but Vaclav, who is playing in my position, has been incredible for us for a number of months. He is very good with me. He helps me in training and stuff like that and just getting to watch him every week.
“Some of the stuff he does is incredible and even listening to the stories of where he has been previous in his career is incredible, at international level as well.
“Just to be able to learn from a guy like that is amazing.”
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McCausland on the big lesson he can learn from Cerny at Ibrox
A graduate of the fabled Ajax academy, Cerny was a target for Chelsea, Arsenal and Juventus in his younger days.
And while he might not have scaled those heights, the former FC Twente talisman continues to showcase the sort of raw talent most forwards in Scotland’s top flight can only dream of.
With 12 goals so far, Cerny’s trademark ability to cut inside and curl shots into the opposition net has become one of the most feared weapons in Clement’s attacking armoury. And while Cerny has faced some criticism for a perceived lack of unpredictability, McCausland feels that Rangers’ number 18 is nowhere near as one-not as some would believe.
“Main thing I have learned from him? I think probably the main thing is he plays on the right and his strong foot is his left foot. For me, that is a bit different because my weak foot is my left foot,” adds McCausland, a more old-school, chalk-booted sort of winger.
“Probably I would naturally come in on my left which is strange because I am right footed but coming in he has got really good at going down the right and the left like he is both footed.
“I think adding that to my game and not sort of having that skill where everybody knows what you are going to do, having that bit of variety to your game.
“I think in that sense I can learn from him.”
McCausland – the Rangers winger likened Clinton Nsiala to Virgil van Dijk after the midweek Aberdeen hammering – is likely to feature against Fraserburgh with Cerny handed a much-needed rest.
