Michael Stewart reveals when he will admit he was wrong about Youssef Chermiti and Rangers

Michael Stewart still has his doubts about Youssef Chermiti despite his brilliant brace against Celtic.

Chermiti swapped Everton for Rangers in a £8million deal, plus add-ons, last summer, but it has been a mixed spell at Ibrox thus far.

The 21-year-old has proven he is a big-match player, with a whopping eight of his nine goals this season coming against Scottish Premiership title contenders Hearts and Celtic.

The former Sporting CP forward scored a goal of the season contender against the Bhoys on Sunday with a stunning overhead kick, before backing that up with a clinical finish in the 2-2 draw at Ibrox.

This term, doubts have been raised about the striker, but Danny Rohl continues to stick by him. However, ex-Hearts midfielder Stewart still thinks consistency is an issue after calling him out weeks ago.

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Doubts raised about Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti

Outside of his goalscoring heroics against Celtic and Rangers, Chermiti has only scored against Kilmarnock, which came in a 3-1 win in late October.

However, the forward has only scored in five out of 31 games in all competitions this season, suggesting a real lack of consistency. That, and more, is why Stewart is still not fully convinced by the summer recruit.

He said on Premier Sports’ Scottish Social Football Club: “If he continues to perform like he did yesterday and come up with goals like that on a consistent basis, then absolutely.

“On the comment about being too quick to pass judgment, no, I don’t think that is the case.

“And by the way, let’s not make it as if it were like an exclusive opinion here. It was an opinion that I think the vast majority of folk held.

“If he continues to perform with goals like that at that level over an extended period of time, I’ll hold my hands up, absolutely, and say 100 per cent I was wrong. But I’m not converted.”

Former Rangers man Alan Hutton also questioned whether Chermiti can be as effective up front when he is leading the line alone, rather than having Ryan Naderi or another forward alongside him.

So far, his goalscoring numbers suggest that when he leads the line on his own, Chermiti can struggle.

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Troubling recent trend for Rangers emerging

Rangers looked home and hosed off the back of their first-half performance against Celtic. They outfought a hapless Bhoys side, but it was a very different story in the second period.

Indeed, Martin O’Neill’s men grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck after making some early second-half changes and never really let go.

If the game had gone on a bit longer, only one side looked like winning – and it wasn’t Rangers.

This is not the first time they have thrown away a lead in recent weeks. Indeed, away at Motherwell, they took an early lead through Nico Raskin but ended up drawing 1-1 at Fir Park.

The Gers also had a man advantage for the final 15 minutes, but Stephen Welsh’s 89th-minute strike ensured Rangers dropped points.

If they want to win their first league title since 2021, they cannot afford to surrender leads in the remainder of the season.

On Sunday, Rangers lock horns again with Celtic, this time in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Whoever wins that will feel confident they can reel in Hearts in the coming weeks and months.

For more stories on the Gers in their bid to win the Scottish Premiership, visit Football Insider.

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