As masked striker Danilo scores his fifth Rangers goal v Dundee, there are hopes building that the Brazilian can be the Ibrox club’s answer to Celtic nemesis Kyogo Furuhashi.
Speaking ahead of the clash at Dens Park, Rangers manager Philippe Clement was clear that how far Danilo wants to go in the game depends on his own application.
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It’s been a challenging start to life at Ibrox for the Brazilian; signed on a reported £5.6m deal from Eredivisie champions Feyenoord, the striker is one of several summer signings who initially failed to hit the ground running.
After an abrupt welcome to Scottish football via a clash with St Johnstone’s Liam Gordon, the masked man has returned from a fractured cheekbone and very much looks like a Rangers super hero.
It’s clear the striker is yet to reach peak fitness let alone peak form but the early indications from Danilo are that Rangers have finally found a talismanic and reactionary striker who can rival Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi.
Danilo must be Rangers’ answer to Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi
There is no beating around the bush here; the Japanese hitman has so often been the difference between Rangers and Celtic as of late and he continues to be our Old Firm rivals’ greatest asset.
Rated at £20m by former Celtic defender Alan Stubbs, Kyogo Furuhashi has netted six goals in 10 appearances against Rangers but the manner of these strikes are what have been most important.
Not only has the Japanese international risen to the Old Firm occasion for our rivals but the striker has been the difference far too often since moving to Parkhead
Scoring the only goal in that painful 1-0 Ibrox defeat to Celtic earlier in the season, the striker also scored Celtic’s only goals in February’s League Cup Final as well as another double in a crucial 3-2 Parkhead victory last season.
Netting a late equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Ibrox which killed off any suggestion of a title resurgence last season, Kyogo Furuhashi has been Celtic’s big game player and has welcomed the responsibility of downing Rangers.
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Not since Ryan Kent’s early Rangers career have the Ibrox club had a talismanic presence who can prove a matchwinner against Celtic but in Danilo hopes are building in the striker.
We need a player who welcomes the responsibility of terrorising our rivals and being an Old Firm matchwinner.
The forward might not have had enough of a chance to prove it against Celtic just yet but Rangers know that it’s Kyogo Furuhashi – and not much else – which is the enduring difference between the two teams.
If Brazilian striker Danilo can plug that gap in the Old Firm clashes this season, it’ll go a long way to wrestling back Rangers’ domestic dominance.
The hitman certainly proved his class against Dundee and let’s hope it’s a sign of big things to come.
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