Tochi Chukwuani has admitted that Rangers supporters have still to see the best of him at Ibrox, but a positional change under new manager Derek McInnes is helping him show why the club signed him.
The Danish midfielder arrived from Sturm Graz in January for £4.5 million but has struggled to find top form. He was part of Danny Rohl's squad that capitulated in the Scottish Premiership title race after the league split last term, and has yet to cement a place in the Rangers engine room under McInnes this season.
However, Chukwuani has started the last two games - Ibrox victories against St Mirren and FK Jablonec. Ahead of the Conference League play-off second leg against the Czech side on Thursday night, the 23-year-old told supporters there is plenty more to come from him.
Drop-off in form
Chukwuani acknowledged that his form dipped after a promising start at the club. He said: "To be honest, I think I had a good start at Rangers. It's a different environment, a different culture, a different league. I'm not giving excuses. As I say, I think my start was good but then I had a drop-off in form.
"The whole team did, especially after the league split. That's football. We can't take anything from last season because of how it ended. But this is a new campaign and I'm hungry to do well. I'm trying to push in every game."
He explained that he had been playing a deeper midfield role since joining, but now McInnes is deploying him further forward. He said: "When I came to Rangers, I was playing a slightly different role. I was playing deeper in midfield. Maybe that's the only part of my game the fans have really seen so far, where I've been sweeping up in front of the back four.
Utility player
"But I've always said that I'm more of a utility player. I can play as a number six, a number eight or as a number 10 in there. I feel like I have power and offensive qualities in midfield. I can run box-to-box, which I feel I've showcased in the last two games. I've been able to create two or three chances so, yeah, there's a bit more to come from me. I'm trying every day to show that."
Chukwuani is competing with Nico Raskin, Dan Neil, Cammy Devlin and Vanja Dragojevic for a midfield place under McInnes, and he says he is relishing the challenge. He said: "It's been good so far with the new manager. There is a lot of demands from him, which is fantastic for the players. There's lots of competition which makes the whole environment better. Everyone is so eager and hungry. Whenever I get the chance to start in midfield, I try to give my best display. That competition pushes me to dig in more and find the best version of myself."
Turning the season around
Chukwuani is expected to start the second leg against Jablonec in the Czech Republic on Thursday night. Rangers hold a one-goal advantage thanks to Ryan Naderi's goal at Ibrox. The midfielder accepts the team have had a tough start to the campaign after failing to win their first two Premiership fixtures and crashing out of the Europa League, but he is convinced they will get it right.
He said: "As a player, it's fantastic to feel the expectations and demands at Rangers. The fans want forward-thinking, attacking football. We have some new players and it takes some time for them to get used to it. But we're now showing some progression.
"We haven't had the best start to the season but I believe you can always turn it around. We're only thinking positively and hopefully we can continue to build something on Thursday night. We were happy with the win in the first game and we're halfway through the tie. We're going to the Czech Republic with a positive result and to try and finish the job off and qualify."
