Kemar Roofe can get a head start on any new striker signings for Michael Beale if he fights his way back to full fitness.
Rangers are in the hunt for attacking duo Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers. But former Ibrox hitman Kevin Drinkell is adamant Roofe’s proven track record at Ibrox can see him best placed for first crack at being top gun. The injury-plagued 30-year-old has had limited opportunities to shine for Beale.
Having scorched to 35 goals in his opening two campaigns at the club after being signed by Steven Gerrard, the Jamaican international endured a desperate 2022/23 term. Hammered by a succession of fitness issues, Roofe managed just six games and two goals. After returning from a long lay-off to bag the Viaplay Cup semi-final winner against Aberdeen, the former Leeds ace suffered a shoulder problem. Roofe then sustained a hip injury which required him to go for surgery.
The attacker is working his way through the post-op rehabilitation programme and back out running as he aims to be fully ready for next season. Beale hopes the striker will be available and has pencilled him into the plans for the beginning of the pre-season schedule.
Drinkell thinks that having Roofe back at his best will be a huge shot in the arm for the gaffer and the squad. Although exciting new arrivals such as Lammers and Dessers are in the pipeline, the ex-star believes the comeback man’s past experiences and proven Rangers ability can make him best of the lot.
He explained: “It would be an addition to the squad that they never really had last year. Roofe has proved that he can cope with the league itself, the competitiveness at the top end and he held his own. So it’s actually a case that having him back would be even better than getting somebody new because you’d have one to the standard required that has also been through that bedding-in period at the club and has shown he can do it.
"It’s not about Roofe’s ability. It’s just been, as everyone knows, his availability. It would take him a couple of games to get up to speed and, then after a couple of games when he was right on top of it, he’d start to get the niggles.
“He’d get back, play his part and do well and he’s just never had any consistency. It’s all about his fitness. If he’s fit, then he’s robust and he puts it about. He gets stuck in. But if you are trying to carry a knock or you are not fully fit, your effectiveness can dip. So as long as he is up to speed, confident in himself that he is not going to break down, he’d be a great addition to the squad.”
Beale is searching for the strikers as he looks to make up for the loss of Alfredo Morelos, who left on an expired contract. Antonio Colak started last season in superb form for Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but struggled for outings under Beale with doubts over whether his style was suitable to the manager’s set up.
Drinkell said: “He’s on the fringes of it, then he comes in and he nicks the goals and does his bit. He’s shown he scores goals and, again, it’s consistency. Sometimes the modern game dictates when you play. You can score a hat-trick one week, then you are rested the next.
“If there is competition for places, you can be coming out of the team when you think you should be in it and then being in the team when you maybe have a niggle. The manager just needs everyone to have a really calm and solid pre-season, have everyone scratching at each other to all be different options and all be available to the manager. That’ll put him in the right position because it has been proven in the past when they have had to rely on a not-consistent Morelos that it’s not healthy to be relying on one person.”
Beale is aware that adding attacking options to the unit is vital. Often during his first spell in the hot seat, he bemoaned the wastefulness of the frontline as chances were created and wasted.
Beale is looking to add cutting edge to the squad and is trawling the market. Dessers is a striking target with Ibrox chiefs hunting a deal with Cremonese for the 28-year-old, but they also face competition for the Nigerian international. Atalanta’s Dutch forward Lammers is also on the manager’s hitlist. Drinkell says it is vital for Beale to have a variety of options at his disposal as he looks to compete at home and abroad and in Europe. The Englishman had to fight with stars such as Ally McCoist and Mo Johnston for starts during his Ibrox days and said: “Having three or four guys all fit and firing is crucial.
“Am I excited by some of the signings and the moves, well yes, so long as all the players are fit. It goes back to Roofe. I am being asked about him and, if that question is being posed a year and a half ago, you are saying he’s key. If you are asking about last season, well the simple answer is I don’t know because I didn’t really get to see him physically strong or fit or whatever. First and foremost, the manager has to get the ones already there and the ones he gets in the door all fit and fighting for places and shirts. Once you get into that position, the individuals just play off each other and that benefits everyone."
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