Fashion Sakala handed firm Rangers support by James Tavernier as he points to 'snippets' that signalled Ibrox stardom

The Zambia international has impressed after being handed a consistent run in the XI by Michael Beale.

It's only two months since Fashion Sakala was forced to come out and prove that rumours of his death had been grossly exaggerated.

Back home in Zambia during the World Cup break, stories circulated the Rangers striker had been shot during a robbery that had gone wrong – a rumour that prompted him to take to social media with a typically upbeat message that he was ‘very fine’. So with that nonsense put to bed it was time for Sakala to prove his football career had plenty of life left in it as well, having been more of a bit-part player than he’d have liked to have been under Gio van Bronckhorst.

He returned from Africa to find a new manager in place in the shape of Michael Beale who had previously worked with him during the Steven Gerrard era. Within weeks Sakala has looked like a new player, with three goals and two assists in Beale’s first six games, all engineered with that beaming smile that has endeared him to the Rangers support.

And the Ibrox dressing room according to his captain James Tavernier, who is hoping the Zambia international’s rich vein of form continues at Hampden on Sunday when Aberdeen stand in Rangers’ way of reaching the Viaplay Cup Final. The National Stadium’s wide open spaces would seem ideal for Sakala’s blistering pace but the 25-year-old has shown much more than a clean pair of heels to defenders since Beale’s arrival and his team-mates are loving his upturn in fortune.

Tavernier said: “A player like Fashion, as a striker, they long for consistency of games and that’s what the gaffer has given him. He’s come in, he’s scored a lot of goals for us and as a striker you want that consistency of games and getting the flow of things.

“The manager has great belief in him and so do we as a team. If he’s picked at the weekend hopefully he can produce again. You could see snippets of what he was capable of last season.

"The Motherwell performance away stands out when he scored a hat-trick and you could see what he was capable of. He just lacked the consistency then but with the run of games now he is finding his form and he has been a real big asset for us.

“He’s such a nice guy – funny, always got a smile on his face and always laughing. He’s a joy to have in the dressing room.”

His captain also praised Sakala’s big-game mentality, proof of which was shown in the recent clash against Celtic at Ibrox when his second-half performance turned the game. Tavernier added: “He showed in the second half of that game the capability he has and hopefully that can continue.

"Knowing his upbringing, he has come through a tough period of his life to get to this stage where he is now. He’s got real grit and determination to strive and be successful.”

That is a quality new manager Beale is demanding from his entire squad and with a massive semi-final looming Tavernier knows what has to be done – and he is well aware that at this stage in the League Cup last season, Rangers were found wanting against Hibs just days after Gerrard, Beale and Co had upped sticks for Aston Villa.

He said: “It can obviously be a distraction if a manager leaves before a game but as a footballer once you get over the white line and the whistle goes you go into your own zone. The simple fact is the performance wasn’t good enough that day. And it cost us.

“That’s in the past now and we’re looking forward to this game at the weekend. With it being such an early competition that you can win, if you can add that to your trophy cabinet then it can give you good momentum for the rest of the campaign.

“That’s something we’ve obviously got our sights on but we’ve got to get past Aberdeen this weekend and it will be a tough game. We’ve been in good form and as a team we’re getting better all the time.

"Everyone is at it and at the weekend hopefully we can put in a good performance and make it to another final. We’re in it for all three cups and we’ll keep fighting until the last game of the season.

“The cups are knockout games and we set our sights at the start of the season – we want to win trophies. This is the first one we can get our hands on and we want to bring it back to Rangers and make the fans happy.

“It’s been a while since the club last won this competition, that was the same last season when we won the Scottish Cup. For the boys who have been here for a long time it’s a trophy we really want to get our hands on.”

Tavernier is clearly relishing Beale’s return to the Ibrox club and when asked to sum up the difference the new gaffer has made, the full-back sums it up in one word – freedom. The skipper added: “It’s a different style of play,.

“The confidence is really in the team - the belief of knowing that we’re doing the right thing. There are parts we need to improve and it’s about identifying that. We’re learning and we’re getting better.

“For me the biggest change has been the freedom. He took the handbrake off and told us to just go.

“That’s music to my ears. It’s given me that freedom and knowing I can give everything for the team. We are getting better. I can feel that in training and in games. The big performances are coming.”

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