Derek McInnes Backs Lawrence Shankland at Rangers

Derek McInnes insists Lawrence Shankland will be a driving force at Rangers this season – whether he is in the starting XI or not.

The Rangers manager, who made Shankland his captain at Hearts and then handed him the armband again at Ibrox after their summer reunion, has watched his new skipper endure a slow start in Govan. On Sunday, in the 5-1 League Cup rout of St Mirren, the Scotland striker began on the bench and saw Nico Raskin lead the team out instead.

That was enough to stir the debate. Not for McInnes.

McInnes unmoved by captaincy questions

"I said that when I spoke to Lawrence. Being captain does not guarantee anything, and he accepted that," McInnes explained ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Conference League play-off first leg against Jablonec at Ibrox.

"He is not going to stamp his feet about it. Somebody has to be club captain and, having worked with Lawrence before, he is a brilliant captain and a brilliant boy."

Shankland, 29, replaced Raskin in the second half against St Mirren, only his second appearance from the bench this season, but he could not add to his solitary Rangers goal so far – a penalty against Jagiellonia in the Europa League qualifier.

McInnes, though, refused to dress the situation up as a crisis or a controversy.

"He has a lot to offer. People can maybe look too much into it," he said. "You want your captain to have a big influence on and off the pitch, and I believe Lawrence will have that.

"For me, it is a non-question, although I understand why people might see more in it."

The message was clear: the armband is not a shield from competition, nor a guarantee of minutes, but it does not diminish Shankland’s standing inside the dressing room.

Backing his striker to find his touch

The goals have not flowed yet, and that is unusual territory for a forward who feasted on Premiership defences at Hearts. McInnes, though, has seen this movie before and is not about to panic.

"When you have a player like Lawrence, who knows his way around the penalty box and how to score goals, I do not worry too much about it," he said.

"He is too good not to score regularly. He has consistently shown that over a period of time in the Premiership, with 20-odd goals a season at Hearts.

"Sometimes people can overemphasise these things.

"For me, it is a case of letting him play his natural game.

"The best strikers have that instinctive side to their game, where everything looks natural and seamless. I have no doubt he will do well here."

With Jablonec coming to Ibrox and Rangers looking to nail down a place in the Conference League group stage, the stage is set for Shankland to kick-start his Rangers career, whether from the first whistle or off the bench.

Nedeljkovic arrives to bolster the right flank

While Shankland’s form dominates the conversation outside, McInnes has been quietly reshaping his squad. Earlier in the day, Rangers confirmed the arrival of Kosta Nedeljkovic from Aston Villa on a season-long loan, with an obligation to buy.

The 20-year-old Serbia international becomes McInnes’ 11th signing of a busy summer and will immediately compete with Dujon Sterling and Ross McCrorie for the right-back slot.

"It was a position we identified at the start of pre-season. We looked at various options," McInnes said. "The club had been reliant on Dujon, who has had his history of injuries, so we wanted to bring in a different type of full-back.

"I've got a high opinion of Dujon, but with Kosta you get a player similar to Vanja in a full-back position: real enthusiasm, athleticism and the ability to get up and down the pitch.

"He shows good quality and a real eagerness to play the role.

"As a young player, there will still be areas to improve, but we're looking forward to helping him develop."

A captain under scrutiny, a new defender through the door, European qualification on the line. McInnes has his hands full at Ibrox – and he clearly expects Shankland to be right at the heart of it.