Sir Kenny Dalglish raves about ‘Astute’ Rangers signing who had ‘Slow-ish start’ at Ibrox
Sir Kenny Dalglish has heaped praise on Rangers forward Kemar Roofe, and warned Celtic they will have their hands full ahead of the January clash at Ibrox.
With nine Premiership goals this season, only Gers teammate James Tavernier and Hibernian’s Kevin Nisbet are ahead of Roofe in the top scorer charts, and former Celtic hero Dalglish has spoken of his admiration of the man signed from Belgian outfit Anderlecht in the summer, ahead of the Old Firm clash on January 2.
Roofe assisted Ianis Hagi against Hibernian on Saturday, and he has also scored three goals in his last three games to continue his impressive record for Rangers.
Writing in his column for the The Sunday Post, Dalglish hailed Roofe for overcoming a slow start to become an integral figure at Rangers.
He said: “In the past few weeks, I have been very impressed with Kemar Roofe. He now looks as though he can be a match-winner.
“He had a slow-ish start to his Ibrox career, and took time to find his feet. But he now looks to be an astute signing.
“Saturday is the kind of game Kemar will be relishing, and he looks to be in a really good place just now.
“The Celtic defenders will have their hands full against him.”
Tough selection issues await Gerrard
Roofe is not the only player impressing at Ibrox recently, with the form of a number of attacking players giving manager Steven Gerrard and his coaching team a lot to ponder as the game against Celtic draws nearer.
Still unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership this season, Rangers have not dropped points in the league since September 20, in a 2-2 draw at Hibernian.
Central to their success has been the attacking options Gerrard is able to call upon, with some more peripheral figures choosing the ideal time to start stamping their authority.
Hagi has scored twice in the last two games, doubling his previous tally for the season, including Saturday’s winner over Hibernian.
Cedric Itten has also started to produce some impressive cameos for Rangers, netting from the bench in the 3-1 win against Motherwell on December 19.
Alfredo Morelos, so often the talisman for Rangers in recent seasons, has not started the last four games, but will be chomping at the bit to face Celtic on Saturday.
Regulars Roofe and Ryan Kent will be confident of securing their place in the line up against Celtic, but the options ahead of Gerrard will give him plenty to think about as he plots to record a third win on the bounce against Celtic.
In other Rangers news, pundits criticise Hagi challenge in Hibernian win.