Rangers hero Alex MacDonald urges supporters to give Niko Kranjcar time

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The playmaker has often struggled since his summer move to Glasgow Rangers, but MacDonald has urged Mark Warburton to keep faith in him.

Rangers’ manager Mark Warburton

Barcelona Bear Alex MacDonald has insisted that Rangers fans need to give Niko Kranjcar time as he has the quality to put his disappointing start to life at Ibrox behind him, the Evening Times reports.

The 32-year-old was perhaps one of Mark Warburton’s more intriguing signings during the summer. While he boasted plenty of Premier League experience, he had most recently been playing for New York Cosmos in the second tier in America.

Niko Kranjcar, during his time with QPR

And the fact that he has not played at the highest level for a while arguably showed during his early days with the Gers as he often appeared to be off the pace. But MacDonald has defended Kranjcar’s early form, and insisted that he can turn things around.

“Sometimes he is a bit slow in getting the ball to the front men. They work hard to get into positions to get the ball and sometimes it needs to get there a bit quicker,” he said, as reported by the Evening Times.

Burnley’s Andre Gray in action with Rangers’ Niko Kranjcar

“Don’t forget that football in Scotland is different than everywhere else. Everyone puts you under pressure and tackles you quicker here and you need a good fitness level.

“Kranjcar certainly has quality but it was always going to take him time to start to show what he is capable of for Rangers.”

Ranger’s Niko Kranjcar in action with Burnley’s Scott Arfield

It does appear that the former Croatia international is beginning to turn a corner with the Light Blues. After a very poor display in the Old Firm game, Kranjcar has looked much more threatening in recent weeks.

And with Rangers’ last few performances suggesting that they may have also turned a corner in the top flight following a difficult start, it seems likely that Kranjcar will be able to make an even greater impact in the future.