RONALDO WAS NOT PROLIFIC AT 21 EITHER

Early Chermiti judgments unfair, says mentor

- SCOTT MCDERMOTT

WITH a return of just one goal in 13 appearances, Rangers fans are getting on Youssef Chermiti's back after a run of indifferent performances from the £8million signing.

Questions are being asked of sporting director Kevin Thelwell - the man who splashed out £15m to take him to Everton and then signed the 21-year-old for the Light Blues.

Some supporters have already decided Chermiti is a liability for new manager Danny Rohl.

But Filipe Celikkaya, who was in charge of Sporting Lisbon’s B team when the striker came through, has urged the critics to show patience.

The 40-year-old, now assistant manager at MLS outfit Chicago Fire, rates Chermiti as a major talent.

And that opinion was shared by Ruben Amorim before he swapped the Sporting hotseat for Manchester United.

Celikkaya even cited the example of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as someone who wasn't a prolific scorer in his early days.

And he is convinced Chermiti will show his quality at Ibrox if he’s in a team which plays to his strengths.

Celikkaya said: "I wanted to work with Youssef for longer, but he was so good that Ruben wanted him for the first team.