LET ME start by saying no Rangers player could quite lead the line like Mark Hateley.

He was a colossus during his Ibrox playing days and had the ability to win games on his own. When he talks strikers you sit up and listen.

However, his damning assessment of Antonio Colak’s display in Tuesday night’s defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise seems a tad harsh.

Speaking to BBC Sportsound, Hateley commented on the lacklustre showing from the team and the Croatian’s lack of impact up top. He said: “It was a poor, poor show. Weak and blunt.

“We don’t even know if Union’s back three are any good.

“Is the goalkeeper any good? We don’t know. Union figured Rangers out after 25 minutes.

"At the end of the day, Rangers are very, very lucky to come away with a 2-0 defeat.

“You could see a second goal coming all second half. Then you worry about the third goal.

“Colak, for me, was a waste of time. If Morelos is playing there, the ball goes into him. Colak didn’t demand the ball.”

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His views on Colak are echoed by a percentage of the Rangers support who were less than impressed with his performance.

Having watched the match unfold at the Den Dreef Stadion, the summer signing from PAOK Salonika was not why Rangers lost the game.

He worked hard and did well to win a free kick on the edge of the area early on, of which Borna Barisic tested the gloves of the goalkeeper.

He should’ve done better with a Malik Tillman delivery, granted, but that cross aside, he was starved of any real service.

He is a predatory penalty box striker. We have already seen he can be deadly in front of goal after finding the back of the net against Tottenham and Livingston, albeit his goal at the Tony Macaroni Arena was harshly ruled out for offside.

It can’t be stressed enough, he is not Alfredo Morelos. Nobody at the club can lead the line like the Colombian can. For Rangers to utilise the likes of Colak, Kemar Roofe or even Fashion Sakala, they need to alter the system and on Tuesday night’s showing, they simply couldn’t.

As is the norm with new signings, they’re often judged ridiculously early into their Ibrox careers. Colak seems to have been written off by some already. Hateley himself is a prime example that certain players need time to adapt and settle into life at Rangers.

A more recent example can be found in the form of John Lundstram. From what looked like a certain January exit after a turbulent first six months, he’s now become one of the first names on the team sheet and a proper fan's favourite.

Therefore, it’s essential to give the likes of Colak and the other six summer signings the time to find their feet at this ultra-demanding football club.

The only issue is, with a Champions League place on the line in five days’ time, that’s easier said than done.

This piece is an extract from today’s Rangers Insider newsletter, which is emailed out at 5pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Rangers Review team.

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