The 24-year-old Nigeria international scored a breath-taking goal against Micky Mellon’s men at Ibrox Stadium
Rangers midfielder has revealed his wonder goal against Dundee United in Sunday’s Scottish Premiership game came from extra training session.
The 24-year-old was a delight to watch in the encounter, dictating the pace and marshalling the midfield to help his side secure a 4-1 victory over the Terrors.
The Nigeria international scored a breath-taking goal in the game, firing a left-footed strike beyond the reach of goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist and was deservedly handed the man-of-the-match award.
The midfielder has now scored seven goals this season and provided four assists in 29 appearances and hopes to finish the campaign impressively.
“I probably haven’t hit a shot with as much power,” Aribo told Ranger TV after the game.
“Everyone in training says I just like to finesse and curl it but I’ve been practicing so I just thought I would put my laces through it and thankfully it went in.
“The boys are buzzing, we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. We had to start fast and give all we could in the game to get a foothold and just keep going throughout the whole 90 minutes.
“I just want to finish the season strong, keep pushing, keep going and giving all that I can and I am happy that I’m getting positive results.”
Rangers will take on Belgian side Royal Antwerp in their second leg round of 32 in the Europa League on Thursday.
Aribo has urged the Ibrox Stadium outfit to do all it takes to progress to the next stage of the European competition.
“It’s a big game and it’s knockout football. We know what we have to do and we just have to focus, get ready, dust ourselves off and move on to that,” Aribo added.
Aribo has also been praised by Rangers manager Steven Gerrard for his versatility and commanding display against Dundee United, describing him as a ‘boss kid’.
“For me, good players can do whatever you ask them to do. The good thing for Joe is he can be effective as a right 10 or a left 10, of course he can because he’s closer to the goal,” Gerrard told Rangers TV.
“If you ask Joe, he’ll probably want to be closer to the goal. But when we’re at home, playing him as a left eight or a right eight it gives us that bit of ambition in the team rather than having the three number sixes and we know he can burst from deep and it gives us the chance to get Hagi and [Ryan] Kent in the team as well and maybe other people for different games as well.
“Honest to God, I can’t speak highly enough of the kid. He’s a boss kid and he wants to improve. We’re delighted to have him. He decided to come here and develop and grow and he’s moving in the right direction.
“He’s low maintenance, everything he’s putting into it, it’s no surprise he’s getting a lot of good performances in his game now.”