Owen Coyle backs Kyle Lafferty to be a success at Rangers

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Glasgow Rangers have recently announced that they brought Jermain Defoe to Ibrox on loan this month.

In comments reported by The Scottish Sun, Owen Coyle has backed Kyle Lafferty to respond superbly to Rangers signing Jermain Defoe, insisting that the striker will back himself to force his way into Steven Gerrard’s strongest side.

Lafferty has not enjoyed the best run of form since returning to Ibrox in the summer. After a superb spell with Hearts, the Northern Ireland international has only managed to score a handful of goals for the Gers having largely been kept out of the team by Alfredo Morelos.

With Defoe also arriving, it appears that Lafferty is now third choice right now. But Coyle – who managed the 31-year-old at Burnley and sold him to the Gers ahead of his first spell with the club – backed the forward to turn his fortunes around.

“Kyle gives the manager huge flexibility in terms of how he wants to set up,” he said, as reported by The Scottish Sun. “The one thing Rangers definitely have now is severe competition for places.

“Kyle will think he’s as good as anybody. When he’s at his very best mentally and physically then he’s a huge asset for any team. He’ll be delighted to see good players coming in but he’ll also think to himself, ‘I’m a good player’. Kyle will be desperate to be in Gerrard’s first-choice team.”

It is going to be interesting to see how Gerrard adapts his side following Defoe’s arrival. There will be plenty of supporters who would like to see the January signing paired with Morelos as a front two.

But a switch to a front two could also work in Lafferty’s favour. While Coyle believes that the forward could play out wide, the competition they have in those areas probably means that his best chance of getting into the side remains up front.

And the variety that he provides could prove invaluable to Rangers as the season continues with Lafferty standing much taller than both of his teammates.

The spotlight is certainly on Morelos and Defoe right now. But as Coyle suggests, it should not surprise anyone if Defoe’s arrival actually proves to be the catalyst for Lafferty’s own turnaround after a difficult start.