Philippe Clement Vows to Rebuild Rangers’ Physical Fitness and Team Unity
Brazilian striker Danilo didn’t have much luck during his first season at Rangers.
Joining as the club’s marquee signing last summer, the now 25-year-old was acquired for a reported £6m from then Dutch champions Feyenoord.
This move was part of a £21m summer investment under Michael Beale, which unfortunately, did not go as planned.
Beale was slow to integrate Danilo into the team, and this delay may have cost Steven Gerrard’s former Ibrox assistant dearly.
When Danilo finally got into the team, he faced setbacks, first suffering a demoralizing facial fracture while scoring against St Johnstone, and later, a season-ending knee injury against Hearts. It was a season to forget for the Brazilian for many reasons.
However, with the striker back in training at the Rangers Training Centre, all Rangers fans are rooting for him this season and they’re not alone.
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Ex-Ajax youth sends Danilo support Danilo has been keeping Rangers fans updated on his progress through social media.
In stark contrast to one of his teammates, the Brazilian striker has only received support as he works his way back to fitness.
Social media has been a useful tool for Danilo to express his frustration and determination, proving its value in modern football.
In his latest Instagram post, the Ibrox striker shared a series of photos as Rangers training resumed last week.
The post garnered an outpouring of support from Rangers fans and caught the attention of Premier League defender Sven Botman.
The former Ajax youth player, now at Newcastle United after a £34.5m move from Lille in 2022, showed support for his old teammate by responding with a red heart emoji.
Rangers manager makes injury pledge
Everyone is hoping for Danilo to make a strong comeback at Rangers next season.
The Brazilian’s debut in Scottish football was tough, with injuries contributing to a difficult season at Ibrox.
Long-term injuries to Danilo, Abdallah Sima, Kemar Roofe, and Oscar Cortes weakened Rangers’ attack, adding to the squad’s overall challenges.
Manager Philippe Clement is determined to address this issue over the summer.
“Firstly, we are looking to build the physical condition,” Clement told RangersTV. “The team missed that a lot last season.
“They were not prepared to play every three days at high intensity. Because of that, we had a lot of injuries, so we need to train hard and prepare well.
“We will focus on not only ball exercises and running but also many exercises to strengthen their bodies. We are going to work on that.
“We assure all the fans that the players are working really hard in the next few weeks to be stronger for the next season.
“Training will be very hard, with tough games, but players need to be challenged even when they are tired to build that mentality because we will face similar moments during the season.
“One aspect we want to strengthen is having individual talks with all the players every evening, together with my staff.
“This creates a bond, and I was pleased with last season in this regard. The dressing room was united until the end.
“We need to rebuild in this way, bringing in new leadership alongside those who have already shown leadership here.
“We also want to see people who were here last season evolve. For the new players, it is good to spend 24 hours a week together to really adapt to the team.”
Danilo made only 21 appearances and 10 starts in his first season at Rangers, scoring six goals and providing five assists.
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