Derek McInnes has backed his Rangers captain, Lawrence Shankland, to have a "big influence" at Ibrox regardless of whether he starts games, after a quiet opening to life at the club since following his manager from Hearts in the summer. Shankland was named among the substitutes for Sunday's 5-1 League Cup win over St Mirren, Rangers' first win of the season, with Nico Raskin wearing the captain's armband in his absence before Shankland came off the bench for the second time this term.
"I said that when I spoke to Lawrence. Being captain does not guarantee anything, and he accepted that. 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," McInnes said. "You want your captain to have a big influence on and off the pitch, and I believe Lawrence will have that."
Shankland has scored once in five appearances since his move to Ibrox, a penalty against Polish side Jagiellonia in a Europa League qualifier, but McInnes is relaxed about the barren run. "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 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," he said. "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."
That Jagiellonia defeat, settled 3-2 on aggregate, dropped Rangers into the Conference League play-off round, where they host Czech side Jablonec, on a six-game winning run, in the first leg at Ibrox on Thursday.