After Lawrence Shankland scored what turned out to be the winning goal against Livingston, David Martindale said he would “love” to see him leave Hearts for Rangers.
The manager said that there was “more to come” if the Scotland international left Tynecastle, calling the player a “match-winner” and drawing comparisons to legendary Ibrox goalscorer Alfredo Morelos.
The 28-year-old is widely expected to be Philippe Clement’s target during the January transfer window as the Belgian aims to strengthen his striking unit.
As reported by the Scottish Sun, Martindale stated: “I genuinely believe Shankland made the difference in the game.” He must be worth a million or two million pounds. The difference was at the top of the park, and Hearts have a player who can win games.
“The second goal’s outside-of-the-foot finish is amazing, even though I know he missed the pen. Our marking is horrible and devilish. However, that’s most likely what makes a difference—that bleep Lawrence Shankland.
“I examine him and make comparisons. Though he is entirely unlike Kyogo [Furuhashi], he shares some similarities with Morelos. However, Lawrence has a stronger mentality and more to offer altogether. It’s hard to choose, but I think I’ll go with Lawrence during Morelos’ peak.
“He has no issues with temperament. In my capacity as a football fan, I would adore to see him succeed.Although Hearts is a much bigger team than Livi, I believe Lawrence Shankland still has a little bit left in him.
It’s amazing to score 19 goals in all competitions halfway through a season. He’s not only scoring various finishes against us, but also against everyone else.
Past the grasp?
Rangers may not be able to afford Shankland within this window if the cost is going to be substantially higher than what Martindale has proposed.
Though the Portuguese striker made his debut in Tuesday’s 3-1 victory against Kilmarnock, Clement still needs more offensive support. Fabio Silva was signed by Wolves on a loan.
With Danilo’s chronic injury and Kemar Roofe’s ongoing fitness problems, Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers would have to shoulder the responsibility.
Though the Nigerian international has outperformed his Dutch colleague, both have suffered since their summer arrivals, so securing Shankland would be extremely beneficial.
His asking price will drop with each window if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the Jambos before the remaining 18 months of his present one expire.
However, Steven Naismith’s team is unlikely to want to lose him in the middle of the season, thus the issue might be postponed until the summer.
Although it took him some time to come back up to speed this season, Shankland has been on fire recently, recording 12 SPFL strikes in his last 13 games. He has been predicted to be just as successful for Rangers as he was the previous season.
In the coming weeks, the Light Blues will undoubtedly need to look into the matter if the door is open, but Martindale and the supporters could be disappointed that he won’t be stepping up sooner.
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