Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha is crying out for a prolific goalscorer, and former Ger Kane Hemmings has been scoring for fun in recent seasons.
The fact that Rangers managed just one goal in 180 minutes against the side that finished fourth in the Luxembourg top flight last season hardly reflects well on the attacking options at Pedro Caixinha’s disposal.
A 2-1 aggregate defeat to Progres Niederkorn means Rangers are out of the Europa League before most sides have even begun pre-season preparations. 37-year-old Kenny Miller, the only Gers player to hit double figures in the league last season, netted the Scottish giants’ only goal in a humiliating tie.
Beyond him, Martyn Waghorn flatters to deceive, more perspiration than inspiration. And Rangers were even willing to sell Joe Garner to Ipswich Town for almost half the £1.8 million they paid Preston for his services last summer, as reported by the BBC.
Joe Garner netted just seven league goals last season
Therefore, Caixinha will be hoping that Mexican international Eduardo Herrera, who netted only five times for Pumas UNAM last season, will add some much needed clinical finishing up front. Alfredo Morelos, a little known Colombian with an excellent goalscoring record in Finland with HJK Helsinki, will also be required to hit the ground running.
What could’ve been?
However, it’s tempting to wonder whether a player Rangers released in 2013 could have come in handy right now. Kane Hemmings progressed through the various youth ranks at Ibrox but, between 2011 and 2013, was only given 10 games to prove himself in the first-team before moving to Cowdenbeath on a free.
These days, however, the 25-year-old is showing signs of living up to early expectations. Hemmings struck 15 goals in all competitions for Oxford United last season, albeit mainly in the cup competitions.
And he’s a proven goalscorer in Scotland’s top flight too. Across 2015/16 with Dundee, Hemmings fired home 21 goals in 35 top flight fixtures. It’s a tally Caixinha could only dream of.
Kane Hemmings was prolific at Dundee
Therefore, hindsight does not reflect well on Rangers’ decision to cast him aside for nothing.
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