Dalcio should be given patience to succeed at Rangers.
Dalcio’s Rangers career would have gone a lot more smoothly had he not been picked for the Progres Niederkorn games.
Instead his woeful displays against the Luxembourg minnows have tainted his image, and fans wrote him off immediately.
This week he played in a testimonial match against Berwick Rangers alongside a core of young players.
Dalcio acquitted himself well, playing a key role in Rangers’ opener, with his effort deflected in off Matthew Bates.
The winger has been dismissed as a credible option for months, and perhaps that’s right, that he isn’t good enough for the first team.
But the game in midweek showed him alongside his peers, Jordan Thompson, Serge Atakayi, and Ross Lyon.
These are not players expected to make the first team, and there is no pressure on them to light the game up if they do perform.
Just because Dalcio joined from Benfica, it must be remembered he was only playing for their B side, and expectations must be made accordingly.
He is a project, a player with potential for the future, and Caixinha was wrong to throw him straight into such a crucial game back in June.
His experience and ridicule he has faced since will not have helped his confidence at all, and he is rebuilding.
This week showed Dalcio for what he is, and it was a reminder he is a developmental player.
Whether he can make an impact this season is questionable, but fans should cut him some slack and not make him a figure of fun.
If he can come out of his shell, he could yet fulfil his potential.
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