The first Belgian boss to spot star quality in Hamza Igamane believes cash-strapped Rangers stand to rake in millions after snapping up the Moroccan for a snip.
Zulte Waregem manager Sven Vandenbroeck was the man who fast-tracked Igamane into top team football three years ago during his time in charge of ASFAR Rabat. And the 44-year-old has backed countryman Philippe Clement ’s claims that the Ibrox club would not have been able to afford to buy the striker had they waited any longer to bring him in from north Africa in a deal worth around £2m this summer.
Vandenbroeck has revealed Igamane’s progress was already being closely monitored by a string of French clubs before Rangers jumped to the front of the queue with a five year deal. And he believes the 21-year-old – who has recently broken into Clement’s first team squad – will use his time in Scottish football to land an even bigger money deal down south.
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport Vandenbroeck said: “Can he play at a very high level? That’s always difficult to predict. But I do think he can still make another step.
“I’m happy that he makes this step to Scotland first because maybe a step to England would have been too fast and too early. This is a good medium step where he can progress and then make another step to an English team of a higher level. So I think his pathway has been well chosen by this step.”
Vandenbroek has told how Igamane’s strict upbringing, as a youth team player graduating through ASFAR’s military linked academy, has toughened him up for a career in professional football. And he believes it was only a matter of time before he was lured to the European game.
He said: “The club where he played is an army club so, from the academy, they learn about structure, they have school, they have discipline. He went into the first team and for two years in a row he scored a lot of goals. He won the championship with his team so that catches the eye of a lot of clubs especially in France.
“So it was the right moment to buy him. If he would play another year or maybe two I think his price would be two or three times higher than what Rangers have paid now. The only doubt I have is the language because, back then, he was only speaking Arabic so I think he has to pick up English classes.
“He was very shy as well but then he played more games for the first team – he had to do more media and other pressures – so maybe he’s already made some progress with that. But I do know the language can be a problem.”
Clement has refused to rush Igamane into action since the start of the season with the youngster waiting until the start of this month before making his debut as a substitute against Celtic in a 3-0 derby day defeat. But he turned in a second successive impressive cameo from the bench at Tannadice on Sunday and could be in line for a first start in this weekend’s League Cup quarter final clash with Dundee.
And Vandenbroek added: “Philippe didn’t speak to me before he signed Igamane but I think Rangers have enough people on the payroll to make these decisions. His skills and his potential is more than enough to be convinced to take him in and I think he’s already proving that by getting minutes in the first team at his age and this early in the season.”