Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Kranjcar is so eager to earn ‘korn
Rangers v Progres Niederkorn First leg, tomorrow, 7.45pm
NIKO KRANJCAR says reshaped Rangers are ready to roar into their new era at Ibrox tomorrow night. The Croatian star is back for tonight’s Europa League clash against Progres Niederkorn, having missed the final seven months of last term with a cruciate ligament injury. It’s a fresh start for forgotten-man Kranjcar but also for a new-look squad which has been revamped by boss Pedro Caixinha (inset). Over 50,000 will be at a sold-out Ibrox to see the unveiling of the restructured team for the clash against the Luxembourg minnows and the playmaker feels it could be the start of something special. Kranjcar said: “It is a new season and a new start, not only for me, but for the football club because we cannot allow anything similar to last season. “I always felt a part of it last season, I did all my rehab here and I was involved in, unfortunately, a really bad season for us. “Even though I wasn’t available for selection, I do feel part of a team who under-performed largely. “I hope I am going to get a chance to prove myself again because, for me, this is early stages after being out for so long and I have to prove myself every day and in every game. “It’s up to me to prove to my team-mates and my manager that I am still good enough to play.” New striker Alfredo Morelos is also champing at the bit to get going in Glasgow after moving from HJK in Finland. The Colombian hitman said: “Finnish football was great for me and I scored a lot of goals. But Scottish football is a higher standard with better players and it is more competitive. It’s going to be a real challenge for me. “I’m going to be playing in front of 50,000 fans, that’s obviously very different to Finland. “I know there will be big pressure here and I will have to get used to that too. “All my team-mates have received me very well since I came to Scotland and the fans are incredible. I have had so many messages of support. “Now I want to play to show what I can do.”