Itten is a hit as Gerrard lauds Swiss for big goal

STEVEN GERRARD last night praised Cedric Itten for seizing his chance to shine after the Swiss striker’s superb goal helped Rangers win Europa League Group D. The Ibrox manager — who has again urged the club hierarchy to secure Glen Kamara on a new contract — was delighted by the way a side showing seven changes recorded a confident win over Lech Poznan. Itten and Ianis Hagi were on target in Poland to ensure Rangers finished ahead of Benfica and banked a combined financial bonus of near £1.5million. They will also now be seeded in Monday’s last-32 draw. Gerrard reserved special praise for Itten, who marked just a fifth start since a £2.5m move from St Gallen by smashing home a first-half shot. The 23-year-old has been in the shadow of Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe, but his manager said: ‘He has been an absolute pleasure to work with. He is working his socks off and he earned the opportunity tonight. ‘He took it with both hands. I

thought his performance epitomised what we were about as a team tonight, which was aggressive and controlled out of possession.

‘The amount of regains and running he did for the team was fantastic and I thought he deserved his goal.

‘I hope he gets man of the match because it would be deserved. I haven’t seen a lack of confidence or any frustration from the kid. I’ve only seen positivity and a kid who wants to play more. And maybe a kid who deserves to play more on tonight’s showing.’

Gerrard al s o hi ghlighted t he contributions of youngster Nathan Patterson and South African midfielder Bongani Zungu, among those drafted into a much-altered line-up, and was clear on his thoughts about Kamara.

The Ibrox boss has been calling since October for the Finn to receive an improved contract. Kamara’s existing deal expires in 2023, but a number of English and European clubs are tracking his progress.

‘Glen Kamara again showed why everybody is talking about him and there’s a lot of fuss about him,’ said Gerrard. ‘He was outstanding and my advice to the club is to move that situation along as quickly as they can.’

Rangers’ tally of 14 points is a record for a Scottish club in a European group. Not since Walter Smith’s Ibrox side of the 1992/93 season has a team from this country gone through a six-game section undefeated.

‘I think it is a huge achievement and it is thoroughly deserved,’ said Gerrard of winning the group. ‘Our performances over the six games, we deserve to be in the No 1 position and, with a bit more experience, we could have won the six games.

‘We are looking forward to the draw on Monday. We will need a bit of luck, of course.

‘But when Europe comes around again i n February, we will hopefully have a f i t squad and i f we do we wi l l be a challenge for whoever we face.’