22-year-old Rangers loan star Abdallah Sima was singled out for praise by former Scotland international Chris Iwelumo in a recent interview.

Iwelumo was critical of the rest of the Rangers squad, saying that they are not meeting expectations so far this season and that they are ‘underachieving’, but said that ‘you can’t really question Sima’ for his performances thus far.

Iwelumo made four international appearances for Scotland over the course of his playing career (scoring no goals) – he also featured at club level for teams such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stoke City and Burnley.

What did Chris Iwelumo say regarding Abdallah Sima?

Speaking on BBC Radio Sportscene, Iwelumo said: “It’s not a bad return [three goals in eight Scottish Premiership games]. As a striker, you’re going to be judged alone on the goals that you’re scoring.

“This [Sima’s goal vs St Mirren] is a fantastic goal, it’s driven across, the ball’s bouncing, he makes a good connection just to make sure that he hits the target and [Zachary] Hemming doesn’t have any chance at his near post.

“He’s been brought in to score goals. It’s a massive club, there’s a lot of expectation there, and at the minute the players are underachieving, but you can’t really question Sima.”

How important is Abdallah Sima for Rangers?

Rangers’ performance in the 2023 summer transfer window has been largely derided – players such as Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and Danilo have failed to make the impact that Light Blues fans were hoping for.

This is not the case with Sima. He looks like a constant threat on the wing, combining excellent dribbling ability with blistering pace and a powerful physical presence.

He is Rangers’ top goalscorer in all competitions, with seven goals to his name so far. Additionally, he has played in all of the Gers’ games this season except for their humiliating 5-1 defeat against PSV.

Sima is only at the club on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion – nevertheless, we feel that the Light Blues should do whatever they can to keep the Senegalese at the Ibrox Stadium on a permanent basis in the January transfer window.