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Gerrard: Rangers need to polish ‘diamond’ Sakala after Real Madrid goal
The Zambia star made his mark with his maiden goal for the Gers in their victory over Carlo Ancelotti's men on Sunday
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is ready to help Zambian ‘role model’ Fashion Sakala become a better player after he scored a goal in their 2-1 win over Real Madrid.
A day after making his Rangers debut against Brighton & Hove Albion, the 28-year-old responded with his maiden goal for the club with the equaliser in Sunday’s victory at the Ibrox Stadium.
Sakala had barely trained with his new teammates for 10 days after the mandatory quarantine, but he has shown to be a promising talent in Gerrard’s team.
In his reaction to the forward’s performance on Sunday, Gerrard told Rangers TV: "There’s still loads to come in terms of fitness and getting him up to speed and the information we’re giving him.
"One thing I will say is that he’s come in with an incredible attitude.
"He’s been an absolute role model to everyone where he’s come from in terms of his country. He’s been bright, wanting to learn and pick up every bit of information. He’s smiling, he’s enjoying it and he’s grateful to be here.
"He’s been an absolute pleasure to work with in the opening ten days but there’s loads more to come. You can see he’s exciting. We still need to polish the diamond but hopefully he’ll become the player we expect.”
Sakala, on a personal note, expressed delight with his goalscoring feat and he is looking forward to playing in front of the club faithful when Rangers begin their Premiership title defence against Livingston on Saturday.
The former KV Oostende attacker who signed a four-year contract with the Gers, also appreciated his new teammates for his quick adaptation to life in Scotland.
“I was very excited and I’m very happy to play in the presence of the fans,” Sakala said. "I was surprised yesterday by the noise [of the fans] but my teammates have said that I need to wait until the stadium is full and that I haven't seen how they bounce, so I am waiting for that!
“My teammates are making things a little easier for me, the support I am receiving from the team and the technical staff makes me feel more comfortable.
“I was in quarantine for 14 days so it was a little bit stressful but I’ve had some great support from the club and the messages from the players when I was in quarantine was very helped me to settle in.”
