Rangers “monster” is fast becoming the new Cerny and he’s not even a winger

Glasgow Rangers manager Danny Ruhl has been a breath of fresh air since the club decided to appoint him as Russell Martin’s long-term successor at Ibrox.

The German manager, who left Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, has won all three of his Scottish Premiership matches for the Light Blues, having won one of the eight games in the division before his arrival.

Rangers won 3-0 over Dundee at Dens Park in the Premier League on Sunday in their final match before the international break, with two players scoring their first league goals for the club.

Mickey Moore, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, opened the scoring with a wonderful shot into the bottom left corner from the edge of the penalty area, before Geddy Gassama scored a wonderful goal from long range in the second half.

It will be disappointing for the club that it took until the eleventh game of the season for the first-choice winger to score his first league goals of the season.

Both Moore and Gassama need to add more consistency to their play in the final third so they can start to make up for the productivity they lost when Vaclav Cerny left in the summer.

What Vaclav Cerny has been doing since leaving Rangers

The Czech international spent the 2024/25 season on loan with the Scottish giants from German side Wolfsburg, attracting attention with his impressive performances on the right flank.

During his time with the Light Blues, the left-footed striker contributed 18 goals and nine assists in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt, showing that he provided a consistent threat in the final third.

12 of those goals and four of those assists have come in the Premier League, according to Transfermarkt, meaning Moore and Gassama have a long way to go if they want to match his goal output this season.

Following the end of his loan spell, Rangers were either unwilling or unable to sign him permanently, and the 28-year-old striker signed for Turkish giants Besiktas for a fee of around £6m.

Since his permanent move to Türkiye, the former Light Blues star, who enjoyed great success on loan at Ibrox, has shown his attacking quality in Super Lig.

As you can see in the table above, Cerny has been involved in five goals in Besiktas’ eight league appearances so far, with an assist in every other appearance on average.

These stats suggest the Light Blues made a mistake in not bringing him back to Ibrox on a permanent deal in the summer, where he is impressing in Turkey, while the club’s current wide options have had a slow start to the 2025/26 season.

Gassama and Moore will need to improve their performances and provide more goals and assists in the coming months to prove that the Gers were right not to sign the Czech international.

While Gassama and Moore attempt to emulate Cerny’s success in the final third, there is another Rangers star who has quickly become this season’s version of the former Wolfsburg man, and he is not a winger.

Rangers star who has become the new Vaclav Cerny at Ibrox

The Light Blues swooped in to sign Derek Cornelius on loan from Marseille during the summer transfer window, and he has been an excellent addition to the squad so far.

Like Cerny, the left-footed star is a loan player from Ibrox and is thriving in Scottish football. He has been particularly impressive since Ruhl came through the door to replace Martin on the bench, proving his value at centre-back.

Despite being a centre-back, Cornelius, described as a ‘monster’ by international team-mate Richie Laria, has scored as many goals as Gassama and Moore in the Premier League for the Light Blues, with his only league goal.

Defensively, the Canada international was also impressive. According to WhoScored, he ranks first among the centre-backs in the team in terms of tackles made per game (2.1) and clearances per game (6.3), which speaks to how aggressive his defense is and how impressive his defensive positioning is.

Furthermore, Cornelius has won 67% of his ground duels and 61% of his aerial duels in the Premier League so far this season, according to Sofascore, showing that he has been incredibly dominant in physical battles with opposition strikers on the deck and in the air.

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed centre-back was almost flawless defensively in the 3-0 win over Dundee on Sunday in the final match before half-time, winning 100% of his duels and not being dribbled over once.

Cornelius started all three of Rühl’s league matches, which saw Rangers win three times and concede one goal, winning 13 of 20 ground duels in those matches, according to Sofascore.

These stats suggest that he is on his way to becoming the club’s new version of Cerny as he is on loan at Ibrox and is already an incredibly important part of the team due to his impressive performances.

Unlike Cerny, Rangers have confirmed they have the option to sign the Canadian giants on a permanent deal at the end of the season for an undisclosed fee. This means they can sign him permanently, without having to negotiate a new deal with Marseille, next summer.

As it stands, the Gers should actually consider exercising the option to sign him permanently next year, to avoid a repeat of the situation where they now look on with envy as Cerny impresses elsewhere.