Rangers manager Derek McInnes is confident that towering defenders Manny Fernandez and striker Youssef Chermiti can become key figures in the club's pursuit of the Scottish Premiership title this season. The pair, both signed for significant fees, struggled during the post-split collapse under previous boss Danny Rohl, but McInnes sees room for growth.
Fernandez and Chermiti: Tall Talents with Room to Improve
At 6ft 4ins, Fernandez was a £2.5 million signing from Peterborough, while 6ft 3ins Chermiti joined from Everton for £8.5 million. Despite their physical attributes, both failed to deliver consistently in the final five games of the campaign as Rangers' title hopes imploded. Chermiti scored 15 goals last season, including a spectacular overhead kick against Celtic, but McInnes wants more gritty strikes.
“Both of them are relatively young and they came with a lot of expectation on them with the price tag and the kind of profile,” McInnes said. “The challenge for them - and for me to get out of them - is to try and beat their best more often.”
McInnes Addresses Defensive and Attensive Flaws
McInnes highlighted the need for Fernandez to improve his consistency and focus, while Chermiti must add “scruffy goals” to his repertoire. “For Youssef, it’s just realising that leading the line at Rangers takes more than just scoring great goals,” McInnes added. “We've got to try and get the scruffy goals, the one-touch goals, the rebounds.”
Both players had difficult starts after Russell Martin was sacked early last season, but they grew in confidence. However, McInnes insists they must show more to reach the top in Scotland. He has held discussions with Fernandez, who agreed on areas needing improvement.
Shankland's Experience Could Aid Chermiti
McInnes believes experienced striker Lawrence Shankland can help Chermiti develop. Last season, Rangers brought in Bojan Miovski to share the goalscoring burden, but he also struggled, leaving Chermiti to lead the line until Ryan Naderi arrived in January. “Lawrence is a bit more of a team player, a link striker,” McInnes said. “He's had his own service so many times, he gets that last touch in the box.”
McInnes concluded: “Individually they're capable of good moments. Hopefully we can see that more often.”
