Charlie Adam shares what he expected from Youssef Chermiti after working with him up close
Youssef Chermiti's serious knee injury was undoubtedly a huge blow for Rangers.
The 22-year-old suffered an ACL injury in the 2-1 defeat to Hibernian at Ibrox back in August.
Chermiti made a slow start to life at Ibrox after joining from Everton in a deal that could reach £10million in September 2005.
However, his form picked up and he ended last season with 15 Scottish Premiership goals from 30 league appearances.
Losing him early in the campaign caused a headache for new boss Derek McInnes, but Rangers have now racked up an impressive six straight wins.
Former Rangers favourite Charlie Adam has been impressed by what has happened since Chermiti injury.
Charlie Adam hails Rangers duo after Youssef Chermiti blow
Prior to his injury, Chermiti was attracting plenty of interest from elsewhere in Europe.
Both Lyon and Galatasaray were linked to his signature, though Rangers were holding firm amid the intense speculation.
His injury curtailed any move, but also left Rangers needing reinforcement, which they found in the form of Kevin Kelsy.
Both Kelsy and Ryan Naderi have stepped up in recent weeks, the former scoring in a 3-0 beating of Celtic in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals, and the latter downing Martin O'Neill's side in the 1-0 Scottish Premiership triumph.
Adam worked closely with Chermiti when he worked as a set-piece coach at Everton, and said he always expected the Portuguese to come good.
But he also reserved special praise for Naderi and Kelsy for playing their part in Rangers' upturn in fortunes.
In quotes reported by the Daily Record, Adam said: "I worked with Chermiti at Everton and I always expected him to come good at Rangers. Losing him to long-term injury was a massive blow.
"But you have to give so much credit to Kelsy and Naderi - they have really stepped up. Bojan Miovski also weighed in with a big goal against St Mirren and is waiting for his chance.
“The strikers have set a really high level in the last few games and now it’s about pushing on again. Can you keep that standard for the next 30-odd games?"
When is Youssef Chermiti expected back for Rangers?
Unfortunately, the seriousness of Chermiti's injury means he will not play much of a role for Rangers this season.
At the time, the Gers confirmed he would miss a significant period of time, though it was uncertain just how much time he would miss.
However, Rangers Review journalist Chris Jack recently shared that Chermiti could still return for Rangers before the end of the season.
He added that he could make his comeback around the time the Scottish Premiership splits for the final five matches of the season.
Hopefully Rangers will be back in title contention around that time, and Chermiti can play a part in going for the Scottish Premiership.