‘I hold my hands up along with Rangers fans after Youssef Chermiti hat-trick vs Hearts’

Danny Rohl was right all along to start Youssef Chermiti as Rangers beat Hearts 4-2 in the William Hill Premiership on Sunday.

Daily Record journalist Scott McDermott is admitting his mistake, with the Portugal international’s inclusion in the starting lineup at Ibrox on 16 February raising a few eyebrows among supporters.

The German manager decided to pair the former Everton ace with Ryan Naderi in the number nine position, and the Sofascore graphic below vindicates the ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss’ decision.

Despite Hearts taking the lead twice against the Glaswegian outfit, the 21-year-old striker ensured the hosts secured the three points with his first hat-trick.

Youssef Chermiti stats for Rangers vs Hearts in Scottish Premiership clash.
Credit: Sofascore

Youssef Chermiti must show consistency at Rangers after win vs Hearts

McDermott has described Chermiti as an enigma, with Gers fans yet to determine whether he’s worthy of being the first-choice striker.

After some underwhelming performances, the striker undoubtedly came up with one of the most important moments of the season at Ibrox, blowing the William Hill Premiership title race wide open.

Supporters in Govan will now hope the Portuguese centre-forward can keep up his form and build on the heroics against Hearts.

Speaking on Hotline Live on 15 February, McDermott said, “What an enigma this boy is, it’s incredible. I’ll hold my hands up along with thousands of Rangers fans who didn’t think he deserved to start the game. They wanted Naderi up front on his own. Rohl sprung with a bit of a surprise, going with the two of them up top. But it was Chermiti who stole the show.”

Chermit has built up a lot of goodwill after his performance in a crunch tie for the Glaswegian outfit, and he can’t now throw it away.

If the young attacker goes missing in the upcoming matches, fans will certainly turn on him again.

Andrew Cavenagh deserves special praise at Ibrox after what he’s done

Andrew Cavenagh was ready to back Rohl in the winter transfer window despite a somewhat poor experience last summer in terms of recruitment.

The American owners weren’t reluctant to spend more money at Rangers in January and ended up signing Tuur Rommens, Tochi Chukwuani, Andreas Skov Olsen and Naderi before deadline day.

It’s been an encouraging start from the quartet at Ibrox, and they may be the reason for the Glaswegian outfit’s late push to the title.

Cavenagh has put his money where his mouth is, and it’s now up to Rohl to bring success back to Govan.

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