Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong catches the eye as the new-look Rangers recruitment team watched Celtic get toppled in Ayrshire.
Whilst it was a Northern Irish Rangers fan in Matty Kennedy who stole the headlines with the winner in a 2-1 victory, former Wolves talent Armstrong certainly caught the eye.
Rangers will be keeping tabs on the top performers in the Scottish Premiership with Danny Armstrong central to Kilmarnock’s potentially crucial win over Celtic.
Especially since Rangers have hired Nils Koppen as Director of Recruitment, with the club’s focus turning to Player Trading and a proactive approach in the transfer market.
Kilmarnock winger steals show against Celtic
In a relentless showing from the 26-year-old former Hamilton youth, Danny Armstrong might’ve scored a stunner in the first half which hit the junction.
The winger then danced through the Celtic defence and forced Joe Hart into a low save with a left-footed strike, only for a Corrie Ndaba effort to be controversially blocked by Alistair Johnston.
In the second half, Danny Armstrong was once again central to everything good Kilmarnock done, his in-swinging corner causing havoc and leading to a straight-forward stop from the Celtic goalie.
Armstrong himself then had an effort on target, pouncing on a slack Greg Taylor clearance to almost punish the Scotland international, the winger having tortured him all afternoon long.
The ex-Raith Rovers and Ross County winger was then involved in Kilmarnock’s equaliser, feeding a smart progressive pass into midfield before a well-worked move saw Nat Philipps turn the ball into the Celtic net.
And if that wasn’t enough, Kilmarnock number 11 Armstrong fed the through ball through to Matty Kennedy who lived out every Bluenose’s dream by the scoring the winner v Celtic.
Could Danny Armstrong be a good fit for Rangers?
Danny Armstrong is a confident dribbler who showed a lethal touch against Celtic with key roles in both Kilmarnock goals.
Whether or not the winger could make the step up to Rangers’ level is another story but there’s a reason why FotMob named the winger the game’s Player of the Match.
Giving Danny Armstrong an 8.4 rating out of 10, the Killie star took four shots, made one assist and created four chances in the game.
Whilst the winger wasn’t the only Kilmarnock player who impressed against Celtic – see ex-Rangers star Lewis Mayo – he was certainly the one who impressed the most.
Rangers fans seeing some of the online hype surrounding the winger since the weekend might point to some recent wide players from the Scottish Premiership failing to deliver consistently.
Ex-Aberdeen attacker Scott Wright has been an inconsistent option at right-wing since joining the squad in 2021 and is currently out of the side injured.
Jordan Jones – another former Kilmarnock wide man – also struggled to make a lasting impact in Glasgow despite making the switch from Rugby Park.
Danny Armstrong has taken an unorthodox route into the limelight in Scotland, having moved to Wolves as a kid following his time with Hamilton’s Academy.
Never breaking through into the first team at Molineux, Armstrong spent time on loan at Dunfermline Athletic before stints at Raith Rovers and Ross County in the lower leagues.
Having netted nine times on Kilmarnock’s return to the Premiership last season, the winger has four already this season but as Armstrong showed against Celtic, his game is about much more than goals.
With Rangers’ revamped recruitment department surely watching on, we suspect they’ll have taken one or two notes.
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