Philippe Clement has left the door open for Cyriel Dessers to leave Rangers in the January transfer window, but only if the Ibrox club replace him with a striker of a similar calibre.
Dessers gave an interview to Dutch publication VI last week, where he said that he may have to reluctantly leave the Rangers this month after losing his starting spot to Hamza Igamane, and there has been interest in him from clubs like Leganes and Saint-Etienne, as well as Italian sides Cagliari and Empoli.
The Nigerian was given a start in the 5-0 win over Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup on Sunday, bagging a hat-trick, but when asked if Dessers was still part of his plans at the club, Rangers manager Clement replied: “It's a difficult question, that one.
“If Cyriel goes, you need to replace him. And it needs to be at least the same quality. If a player stays and he plays less and he becomes, because of that, unhappy and it goes down his level, what I don't fear with him, it's also not good for the club.
“So, we will see in the next two weeks what happens. I know if he's here, he will give everything for the club. And if he leaves, he needs to be replaced by somebody at least from the same quality.
“We talk all the time. I think Cyriel shows that he has desire to do everything for this club. And, of course, he wants to play every game.
“It's then showing that you're the best. That's working at Rangers. He knows that also really well.
“So, that's the situation for the moment.”
Rangers now turn their attention to Thursday’s visit to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the Europa League, and Clement senses that not only can his side handle the pressure of playing in such an arena, but that they can secure a ‘special’ result against Ruben Amorin’s out-of-sorts outfit.
“I want pressure, to be very clear,” he said.
“I want my team to be ambitious. And if we are somewhere, that we have higher ambitions to make it better. So, that's what we're going to do.
“The team has worked really hard to be in a good position in this Europa League. They did really well in this Europa League. We know what Manchester United is. We know their level.
“But we're going to go there to fight and to show ourselves and to do something really special. That's our ambition, to go there and to do something special.”
