"He is too good not to score regularly," Derek McInnes said of L. Shankland as Rangers head into Thursday's Conference League play-off first leg against FK Jablonec at Ibrox. Shankland has scored once in five outings since his move to Ibrox, and McInnes is making little of the slow start.
McInnes' view on the slow start
The Rangers manager's point is simple enough. Shankland scored 22 goals for Hearts last term, and McInnes wants that sort of finishing to show up again.
"When you have a player like Lawrence, who knows his way around the penalty box and how to score goals, I do not worry too much about it," he told BBC Sport. He added: "You want your captain to have a big influence on and off the pitch, and I believe Lawrence will have that."
The early numbers do not look alarming. Shankland has made 2 appearances for Rangers in the 2026 Premiership season and has a 6.6 average rating, while his 186 league minutes show he has been involved rather than hidden away.
McInnes is also still looking for more at the top end of the pitch, which gives Thursday's tie some edge. Rangers have one win in their last five league matches, so Jablonec will not arrive at a perfect moment for a settling-in period.
Rangers and the Jablonec tie
Shankland was on the bench for Rangers' 5-1 home League Cup win over ST Mirren, with Nicolas Raskin taking the armband that day. That was another reminder that captaincy does not hand anyone an automatic place.
McInnes has not sounded remotely ready to panic, though. He sees a player who has already done the scoring work over a longer stretch in the Premiership, and he is backing the same instinct to show up again in Glasgow on Thursday.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
