Danilo: Rangers’ saviour or last chance saloon?
Like a solar eclipse, Danilo’s emergence into public consciousness seems to come around every six months. Unfortunately, just as predictable as the celestial alignment is his immediate return to the treatment room. It is fair to say that the Brazilian has had a torrid time since he arrived as part of Michael Beale’s short lived revolution in a deal said to have been worth up to £6 million. A broken only ten games in, followed by a repeated a long term knee injury means the striker has played only played twenty-five games since signing and been ruled for over double that. After a first start in August against St. Johnstone, his first since December last year, Danilo was beset by yet another setback. Now, once again playing his way back into fitness and with a fixture list that sees Rangers play eight games in December alone, Philippe Clement may have no choice but to give the player another opportunity. Under Beale, Danilo would have found himself paired with Cyriel Dessers or Kemar Roofe but it is clear that Clement will be making no such tactical concessions. Instead, he will be competing with Dessers and summer signing Hamza Igamane for the single berth up front. Luckily for the Ajax academy graduate, this might not be as difficult a proposition as first thought. A hamstrung strike-force The striker’s chance to establish himself in the coming weeks has been made significantly easier by the uninspired performances of his competitors. Dessers has hardly been barren in front of goal, with an average of one every two games but his profligacy and Rangers’ poor form have meant he has also yet to feel the love from Ibrox supporters. Notwithstanding the 6-0 demolition of Ross County, the side have only managed score ten goals in their other ten games. With a seven game goalless run the in the Premiership which only ended in their last outing against Hearts, Dessers has shouldered much of the blame. Igamane, the man whose job it is to provide some competition for Dessers has been unable to convince Clement that he deserves more than a place on the bench, if that. The twenty two year old has managed just one goal all season, grabbing the fourth against FSCB in a comfortable European outing. Restricted to only 252 minutes to make an impression this season, it is difficult to give a thorough assessment of the Moroccan’s talent just yet but his inability to make an impact in his cameo appearances has left the door wide open for Danilo to state his own case. Rangers’ themselves might have very little option but give him the chance. No money, no choice Rangers’ reported loss of loss of £17.2 million in their annual financial report is very much a situation of their own making. The impressive profit made from the sales of Calvin Bassey, Joe Aribo and Nathan Patterson seem an age away as the club continue to let players run down their contracts. In the past two summers, Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, John Lundstram, Kemar Roofe and Borna Barisic have all left for free whilst Todd Cantwell and Scott Wright brought in less than £1 million combined despite having originally cost over £1.5m. Now sitting in third and with the title having almost run away from them, the board have stood behind Clement. In truth, their poor business model means they cannot afford to sack him and bring in a suitable replacement and as yet another stroke of good fortune for Danilo, the same goes for signing a new striker. Having reportedly spent almost £15 million much for their current set of options up front, the club would be lucky to recoup even a third of that. A sting for fans who have seen Celtic sell Matt O’Riley for almost twenty times what they originally paid, with Nicolas Kuhn likely to depart for a profit that would further widen the financial chasm between the two Glasgow sides. If they stand any chance of selling the Brazilian for what they paid, Danilo will need to be given a platform to attract potential suitors. Can Danilo deliver? Should the former Brazilian youth international be pushed out, there cannot be any complaints about a lack of opportunities to prove himself. For all of Rangers’ attempts to give the striker a run, seven consecutive games is the most he has managed before succumbing to injury. However, no chances have been taken as Danilo’s third coming has very much been a slow burner. A goalscoring return for Rangers’ B team in the Challenge Cup was followed by cameo appearances against Motherwell and Hearts for a combined half hour and those will surely increase as the fixtures come thick and fast throughout the winter. With the condensed calendar, the waning performances of his competitors and the lack of purchasing power of his own club, the stars have aligned for what could be his final chance at the club. Danilo has had a golden chance laid at his feet, it is now up to him to take it.
