Bongani Zungu update as Rangers boss recalls Ibrox 'smash and grab'

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has confirmed Bongani Zungu is “close” to making his debut for the club and is set to feature in the Premiership fixture against Hamilton Accies at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon.

Bongani Zungu is poised to make his debut for Rangers against Hamilton Accies at Ibrox on Sunday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The 28-year-old South African international midfielder has earned warm praise from Gerrard for his training ground efforts to get up to speed after having to spend time in quarantine following his transfer deadline day move from French club Amiens.

“We have been trying to accelerate that and have been giving him extra work and top-ups after training and his application and attitude has been fantastic,” said Gerrard. “I am looking to get him involved as soon as possible. He is available for the weekend. From what I am hearing, and what I have seen so far, he is getting close.”

Rangers will bid to cement their lead in the Premiership title race when they entertain bottom of the table Accies. But Gerrard is taking nothing for granted against opponents who inflicted a painful 1-0 defeat on his team when they last visited Ibrox in March. It was a result which effectively ended Rangers’ title hopes just before the season was suspended and ultimately curtailed by the coronavirus crisis.

"It was certainly a low point, for sure,” said Gerrard. “I don’t want to pay Hamilton a disservice, because they deserved the result and football is football. If you don’t take your chances, if you are not clinical in front of goal and you don’t show that hunger to go and score goals, it can come and bite you on the backside.

"That is what happened that night. It was a smash and grab. You have to pay Hamilton respect, they came to Ibrox, did a job and took three points away from us. We don’t want to experience that again. So it is important that we go into this fixture with the right attitude and mentality and I am sure we are going to go and create a lot of chances because we have got that type of player in the squad and the group. It is about us trying to execute in front of goal and taking maximum points. It is a new game, we have to forget about what has happened in the past.”

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