The Glasgow Rangers board made a big call last month when they decided to part ways with Belgian manager Philippe Clement after more than a year at Ibrox.
Instead of instantly going out into the market to find a long-term replacement for the former Monaco and Club Brugge boss, the Light Blues opted to appoint former player Barry Ferguson as an interim coach, and he has already secured a fantastic 3-2 win over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
The retired central midfielder has the benefit of having played 410 matches for Rangers as a player, which means that he knows what it takes to play for the Ibrox giants.
He also played with some terrific players during his time on the pitch as a midfielder for the Light Blues, including versatile attacker Nacho Novo.
Why Nacho Novo was a star for Rangers
The Spanish forward, who played 131 matches with Ferguson, joined Rangers from Dundee in the summer of 2004 and enjoyed six years at Ibrox.
Novo, who scored six goals in 29 games against Celtic throughout his career, won three Premiership titles, two League Cups, and one SFA Cup in those six years.
2009/10
35
6
5
2008/09
29
5
7
2007/08
27
10
2
2006/07
26
5
2
2005/06
24
2
0
2004/05
35
19
2
As you can see in the table above, the Spaniard, who operated on the flank or as a centre-forward, was inconsistent across seasons, but carried a big threat at the top end of the pitch in the majority of his campaigns at Ibrox.
This is why the impressive forward was a star for the Scottish giants because he delivered quality in the final third over a long period of time.
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Ferguson can now unearth his own version of the versatile attacker, who loved a goal against Celtic, by handing Hamza Igamane more opportunities to start.
Why Hamza Igamane could be the new Nacho Novo
The Morocco international, like Novo, is an attacker who can be deployed on the flank to support a number nine, or as the main man through the middle.
Igamane, who joined the club last summer, has racked up 14 goals and three assists in all competitions for the Gers this season, including ten goals and one assist in the Premiership – which is a very Novo-esque return in front of goal in the league.
The 22-year-old attacker has not been relied upon by Ferguson, however, as he has been on the bench in two of the last three games, and has not played more than 52 minutes in a match in any of his last four appearances.
Igamane, who was described as a “jackpot transfer” for Celtic by Jacek Kulig, came off the bench against Celtic last time out to score a screamer to win the match in the 88th minute.
Ferguson must, now, lean on the Moroccan forward and give him more trust in matches, rather than benching him or substituting him early in matches, because he has the quality to be a match-winner at any given moment, just as Novo did.
The young attacker has proven that he can score goals, as shown by his haul of 14 strikes this term, and that he can step up in big moments, it is now down to the manager to put his faith in the striker to become his own version of Novo between now and the end of the season.
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