Say what you want about Philippe Clement, there is one thing the former Rangers boss got absolutely spot on during his final few months in charge at Ibrox.
The 2024/25 campaign is not a season completely without some green shoots, even if Rangers do appear very likely to end trophyless and finish potentially ten-plus points adrift at the Premiership summit.
CEO Patrick Stewart feels Rangers’ array of exciting young talent will develop further as the year goes on. While recruitment chief-turned-technical director Nils Koppen deserves much of the credit for some of last summer’s bargain buys, it was Philippe Clement’s handling of Hamza Igamane in particular which could prove to be the Belgian’s most abiding legacy at Ibrox.
Even as expectations rose on the back of some intriguing cameo performances, Clement was keen to keep a lid on the Igamane hype train. A young player completely new to European football, the £1.7 million signing from AS Far Rabat only started two games before the beginning of November.
And by the time Rangers finally unleashed the most left-field of Koppen’s summer additions, the manner in which Igamane exploded onto the stage provided immediate justification for Clement’s slow and steady approach.
Philippe Clement praised as Hamza Igamane continues Rangers rise
Flash forward to mid-March, and the man taking interim charge following Clement’s dismissal is reaping the rewards of his predecessor’s reluctance to expect too much too soon.
Hamza Igamane’s ‘phenomenal’ late winner ended Rangers’ five-year wait for a win away at Old Firm rivals Celtic. That was his 14th goal of an excellent breakout campaign, too.
And with Igamane also set to make his senior Morocco debut in the coming World Cup qualifiers, Chris van Puyvelde feels that Clement’s role in the striker’s stunning rise should not go under-appreciated.
Van Puyvelde, the technical director of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, was contacted by Clement shortly before Igamane turned down Qatari offers in favour of Rangers and Scotland.
“I still remember when Philippe Clement called me about him,” Van Puyvelde recalls, speaking to Rangers Review nearly a year later.
“And then I gave him the information I knew, but I said it’s best to talk with some people that have been working with him, like Issame Charai, who is now also [an assistant coach] with Rangers.
“And then, in the end, they were convinced.
“But what I always say is, because I’m already a long time in football, you need to give young players, and for sure players who are coming from another continent, you need to give them the time to adapt.
“And I think what the coach and the club did was very good. They gave [Igamane] time to adapt, not only on the page of the football, but also physically, mentally, [time to learn the] language, and so on, and so on.
“Then, when you see what he has been doing, the only thing you can say is that we are very happy with it.”
Igamane an inspiration as Nils Koppen checks the Moroccan market
From the streets of Temara to the Europa League quarter-finals in the blink of an eye, Hamza Igamane is rapidly emerging as an inspiration for the next generation of Moroccan talent. Part of the Atlas Lions team who won the Under-23 African Cup of Nations in 2023, the future looks bright indeed for the North African nation.
Interestingly, Rangers expressed an interest in PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouch – Igamane’s former Morocco Under-23 team-mate – and were also linked with Feyenoord newbie Oussama Targhelline.
It appears that Koppen, who has scouted players based in Cyprus, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy, sees Morocco as a veritable fountain of young talent.
“People watch and comment on everything he does at Rangers,” says Fernando da Cruz, who helped Igamane earn that move to Glasgow following 16 goals and eight assists in 58 AS Far Rabat appearances.
“When he was scoring and creating lots of goals, it impacted people here. Everyone is very proud that Igamane is playing for Rangers. He’s an inspiration for lots of players. His neighbourhood and all Moroccans are proud of him because he has represented Moroccan’s well.”
‘Philippe Clement called me’: Rangers’ former boss gets the credit as £1.7m star shines in Old Firm triumph
