Ryan Naderi has warned Rangers rivals Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti he’s out to break up their budding Ibrox partnership. The Light Blue legions have been waiting with excitement to see their new-look strike force following Gers stunning summer swoop for Hearts hitman Shankland. Most expect to see the former Tynecastle captain paired with last year’s 15-goal frontman Chermiti when they get their Premiership campaign up and running at Tannadice a week on Friday. But Naderi has other plans and insists he’s confident he can fight his way into new boss Derek McInnes’ starting line up.
Naderi's determination to play
The German ace said: “I'm planning to play and obviously that's what it’s about - competition. I see the manager as someone who will, if you put in effort and show that you're doing good in training and in games when you get subbed in, he will give it back to you and give you the chances. Football is all about getting chances and using them as well. Obviously I'll be there. I want to play. Yes, I'm confident, of course. That's why I'm here. I'm not here to sit on the bench. Obviously, if the two guys perform better and do better training, then that's how football is and that's how it should be. That's why I'm talking about competition. It's important to have this competition. Of course, I want to be part of this competition and fight for my spot.”
Transfer and team dynamics
Gers had to dig deep to sign Naderi before January’s transfer deadline as his former club Hansa Rostock played hardball over their £5million valuation. But that hefty fee bought former boss Danny Rohl just three goals in return as Naderi found himself much of the running for Chermiti. However, the 23-year-old insists he’s happy to play his part any way he can. “You always play for the team,” he said. “You play to succeed as a team. If we win the game at the end, it's more important than how you get to this point. I had a good relationship with Youssef as well and still have it. I enjoy playing with him. He's a striker you want to have next to you. I think I can drag attention on me but he can do that as well. It's a good combination and I enjoyed it. I had no problems with that.”
International future uncertain
Naderi insists he can play a bigger role at Ibrox in the summer ahead - but he’s still weighing up what to do when it comes to his cap ambitions. Born in Dresden to a Bulgarian father and Czech mother, the striker is eligible to represent all three nations. Bulgaria boss Alexander Dimitrov has already attempted to call him up for his squad earlier year but was given a polite ‘thanks but no thanks’ as Naderi preferred to focus on the end to his debut season in Glasgow. Explaining his decision, he said: “I’ve had contact with the coach. Really good contact. I appreciate him. We had nice conversations, good conversations. But it was at a moment where I chose not to focus on the national team because I was in the middle of the title race and wanted to win the league. Obviously, in that phase, I'm not focusing on the national team. Germany is where I was born and grew up, so of course, Germany is a dream. But I have three nationalities. I'm proud of all three of them. We'll see where it goes.”
