Gordon Greer has told of Brighton and Hove Albion’s delight at the impact of winger Abdallah Sima during his loan spell at Rangers.
The Senegal international has been a star performer for the Ibrox outfit this campaign and his form was rewarded with an international call for the African Cup of Nations.
Sima has scored 15 goals in 33 games for Rangers this term and former Scotland defender Greer, who is now Pathway Development Manager at his parent club Brighton, insists the Premier League side have been hugely impressed by his progress.
He explained: “I was up there a few weeks ago. I’ve been up twice in the last few weeks to see him and he’s a great kid.
“He’s worked really hard. It wasn’t easy at the start for him, but he’s banging a few goals in and it’s great to see him doing so well. He has got some really good and strong attributes.
“You can see it in the games, especially sometimes when they play a wee bit deeper and you can see him explode into the space. So he’s a great lad, he’s done really well and we are really happy with him.”
Manager Roberto De Zerbi would ultimately have the final say on any potential recall or loan elsewhere, but for the time being Greer has detailed that the club are pleased with his current move.
He continued: “We’re really happy. Last year he was with Angiers in France and I monitored him over there.
“The club were happy that he was getting the minutes, but they were not a great side. They struggled in a lot of games, so flipped it on its head this year.
“He’s gone to a team that should be sort of knocking the door down in Rangers, so he’s getting the chances and scoring the goals, which is great for him.
“So we are really happy with how he is doing.”
As a former Scotland centre-back, Greer has also been impressed by the rise of the Scottish national team under the leadership of Steve Clarke in recent years.
Excitement is building for the European Championships in Germany and with just five months to go until the tournament, time is ticking in terms of squad selection.
Greer said: “I think, to be fair, we have always had relatively good players, but I think Steve Clarke has got them going.
“He has made them into a solid unit and it’s great to see so many young lads coming through and doing well.
“Listen, I wouldn’t really want to single out defenders as the team as a whole is really good and doing well. It’s a really well-run machine and Steve is brilliant at it.
“So credit to him. He has got them really well disciplined, really well drilled and they are hard to beat.”
One man who Greer works closely alongside is Billy Gilmour, who has been a star performer for Clarke since he broke into the Scotland set-up at the last Euros.
The former Rangers man starred against England at Wembley and Greer watched the game amongst the travelling band of Tartan Army.
He added: “We don’t really speak loads with Billy about the situation. It’s more just of him enjoying it and that type of thing.
“But, to be fair, the lads have been doing so well and it is great they have now qualified for two major tournaments.
“The lads are going to be going to Germany shortly as it’s great now seeing it for the supporters as well as being involved as a player.
“I actually went as a fan for the first time when the team played against England down at Wembley at the Euros and it was brilliant.
“There were limited numbers at the game because of the situation at the time, but I managed to get a ticket as a supporter and it was brilliant.
“The atmosphere was great and, hopefully, we can do the country proud at the next tournament and all of us old players can enjoy it.
“I wouldn’t say that anyone is getting ahead of themselves [in terms of fans]. The boys have done much better than most people would have given them credit for.
“So I think as long as they keep doing that, they will keep making us proud because we are already proud that they have managed to get there in the first place.
“It’s all down to them and credit to them. They are doing great.”
