Ronald Hernandez has insisted that Rangers have their own killer in the box in Kevin Kelsy. Hernandez is a Venezuelan international teammate of the striker and also played alongside him at Portland Timbers.
The former Aberdeen player, speaking in a Daily Record 'In Conversation', believes Rangers' new centre-forward is only at the start of his rise and has massive potential to go to the very top.
'A killer inside the box'
He insisted: "Kevin is very physical, his left foot is very powerful and he is a typical No. 9. The No. 9s have evolved a lot lately. They have a lot more quality on the ball and need to be more involved in the game. He needs to keep his strengths going forward. He is a killer inside the box. I think he will improve in every aspect (of his game). The most important aspect for Kelsy is scoring goals."
Kelsy has already hit the ground running at Ibrox, as he scored in the Premier Sports Cup win at Parkhead over Celtic. He was Rangers' top target after Youssef Chermiti's season-ending injury. Kelsy is in exactly the same mould as the Portuguese striker. Kelsy is big, powerful, fast and has an eye for goal. He offers something different to Ryan Naderi and Bojan Miovski.
Confidence from Celtic win
"Confidence and scoring in that big (Celtic) game is good for him," the former Aberdeen player insisted. "It will give him an extra energy going forward. It was important and has been a good start so far.
"It doesn't matter what I think. The most important thing is what he believes. For me, I will be cheering for him because he is one of my guys. I wish him nothing but the best and success. The most important thing is he performs every game week-in week-out."
The 22-year-old, who played a part in the league and cup wins over Celtic, has taken that confidence into the international break, where he netted his first Venezuela goal earlier this week. He netted the opener although his side eventually lost to the Japanese.
International breakthrough
It was a big moment for Kelsy to break his international duck on his seventh appearance. Hernandez confirmed: "He is a big player right now and looking to the future, he will aim to be one of those guys who can lead us something big. Time will tell. You never know what the future brings. We can see he has a lot of potential to help Rangers and the national team moving forward."
Hernandez spoke to his countryman before he made the move from Major League Soccer to the Scottish Premiership. He was able to tell him about his own time in Scotland in the early 2020s, although that was curtailed by the covid pandemic. Hernandez was left in Aberdeen alone while his wife and child were unable to leave Venezuela and join him.
He has backed the striker to make a bigger impact and impression on Scottish football, in far different circumstances. Kelsy is also flying the Venezuela flag for his country. He has come up the hard way from Mineros de Guayana in his homeland, to Boston River in Uruguay to Shakhtar Donetsk. He had a successful loan at FC Cincinnati and then made a permanent move to MLS side Portland, before his latest move.
Working under a winner
Hernandez predicted: "I think he will enjoy that. He is well-prepared and very professional. He has the right tools to keep moving forward.
"I spoke with him the other day. Coincidence or not coincidence but he will be coached by the same manager but at a different club in the same country. We are from the same culture. I tried to give him a good perspective of what Scotland is. He can take the opportunity because he is in the right environment to make good things happen over there."
Kelsy is, ironically, also playing under the same manager, Derek McInnes, who was his manager at Aberdeen. McInnes sanctioned Hernandez's £700,000 move from Stabaek but never really played him. The Rangers manager has now paid in excess of £10million for Kelsy. Hernandez has told Kelsy that he will be working under a winner, who will be determined to try and bring silverware to Rangers.
He claimed: "He was a super guy and manager. He knew my situation. At that time, I was a lot younger and I didn't have the experience I have right now. He was a top manager who likes to win, no matter what."
