Michael Stewart hits back at Rangers fans after complaints over Youssef Chermiti comments on BBC
Youssef Chermiti had the biggest day of his Rangers career to date on Sunday, as he netted a massive hat-trick against Hearts.
Rangers welcomed the league leaders to Ibrox with it all to play for, as Danny Rohl’s side looked to cut the gap at the top to just two points.
And they did so, with Portuguese striker Chermiti netting three goals in a 4-2 win.
The 21-year-old has struggled to find form during his time in Govan so far, with his treble last time out seeing his league tally sit at seven goals.
Despite his excellent performance at Ibrox, former Hearts man Michael Stewart remains unconvinced by Chermiti and has since hit back at Rangers fans who were not best pleased with his comments on the striker when speaking to BBC Sportscene following Sunday’s events.
Michael Stewart stands by Chermiti comments after Hearts hat-trick
With Rangers leading 3-2 going into the final stages at Ibrox, Chermiti rounded off a fantastic afternoon with a brilliant finish on the counter-attack.
On punditry duty with BBC Sportscene following the result, Stewart was asked whether he believes the young forward will reach a top-class level, instantly writing Chermiti off.
Rangers fans instantly responded with a common description of Stewart on X being a “failure”.
Speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club after the events of the weekend, the former midfielder took the chance to stand by his points on Chermiti.
“There’s a fair few of the Blue persuasion who are a little bit peeved off with me not waxing lyrical after he scored a hat-trick,” said Stewart. Adding: “I was just asked a question.
“I was asked a question, regardless of whether he scored a hat-trick against Hearts. I was straight to the point: Do I think he’s going to turn into a top striker? No. But that’s my honest opinion.”
Making the move to Everton from Sporting in 2023, Chermiti made 22 appearances for the Toffees before he joined Rangers in a deal worth £8million last summer.
Youssef Chermiti still has a part to play in Rangers title charge
Throughout his ongoing stint at the Ibrox club, confidence has been a huge issue for Chermiti, who has struggled to find the back of the net consistently, failing to score outside of the Scottish Premiership.
His performance against Hearts was a statement, and there is not a much bigger one that he could have made going into a huge period, as shown by the Sofascore graphic below.
After dropping points against Motherwell prior to Sunday’s clash at Ibrox, Rangers were in need of all three points against Hearts if they wanted to keep hold of their title ambitions.
They delivered in style, with Chermiti at the heart of proceedings.
The hope for Rohl’s side moving forward will be that the 21-year-old is able to use this as a real springboard, especially with a huge Old Firm double header approaching in the coming weeks, with the Glasgow giants going head-to-head in both league and cup.
If there is a time for Chermiti to begin delivering consistently in a Rangers shirt, then the time is now, with the first title since 2021 potentially on the cards.
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