When Rangers signed Danilo from Feyenoord in the summer, you’ll forgive the Ibrox support for getting excited.
This was a £6m Brazilian striker coming into Scotland from a title-winning Eredivisie side and as the club loosened the purse strings the forward stood as the biggest reported outlay.
But since landing in Glasgow – via an extended stint in his now adopted country of the Netherlands – it has not gone to plan for Scotland’s latest samba star.
A spirit-crushing facial fracture suffered whilst scoring v St Johnstone halted an initially promising start, whilst Rangers saw flashes of Danilo’s ruthless tendencies before a knee injury sustained against Hearts ruled him out months later.
Now, as the devout Christian steps up his recovery from surgery, the man himself is building a hype that has us believing he’s a Rangers fan favourite in the making.
Danilo builds hype ahead of Rangers injury return
Routinely taking to social media to detail his progress, it’s been a steady rise to fitness for the Brazilian who hasn’t been seen since that 1-0 win over Hearts in December.
Injury problems have plagued Rangers’ season and this is summed up no better than by the club’s marquee summer signing spending the bulk of the campaign on the sidelines.
Now, Danilo has been getting Rangers fans excited on social media once again, posting a bible verse and a picture of himself donning a protective mask as this Ibrox super hero sets his sights on a comeback.
“God can restore what is broken and change it into something amazing,” tweets Danilo. “All you need is faith. Joel 2:25.”
Brazilian striker can fire his way into Ibrox hearts
This was a signing that former manager Michael Beale was clearly excited about making, with pictures of caipirinhas and Brazilian flags hinting at the move long before the summer switch.
But after a stuttering start to the season the ex-Rangers manager was replaced by Philippe Clement who has the club firmly in the hunt for a stunning treble.
If Danilo can make a late return in the final furlong of the season – something which has previously been hinted at by Clement – then it will further reinforce our arsenal in the run-in.
But more than that, with the decisive business end of the campaign within sight, if Danilo can get back in the team then it’s not just silverware the Brazilian could win by May.
The stage is also perfectly set for the striker – who has stayed inspiringly positive despite a difficult first season – to plant a flag firmly in Rangers hearts too.
Danilo has made 21 appearances for Rangers (10 starts), scoring six goals and laying on five assists.
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