Hamza Igamane suffers unwanted 50-year Rangers first as transfer value soars

Hamza Igamane was left with mixed emotions after netting his first Rangers hat-trick at Easter Road on Sunday.

The Moroccan's joy at taking home the match ball was tempered with the frustration of his side being held to a 3-3 draw by Hibs and falling 13 points Celtic at the top of the William Hill Premiership.

Igamane was the star of the show, netting the perfect hat-trick by scoring with his left foot, right foot and his head to take his tally to 11 goals in 22 appearances for the Ibrox side since his £2.5million summer move from AS FAR Rabat.

Rangers striker Hamza Igamane with the match ball after scoring a perfect hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Hibs on Sunday. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group

The 22-year-old put Rangers two goals up in the first-half and then scored again to make it 3-2 after Hibs fought back to level, only for the home side to equalise again before Igamane missed a late chance to score a fourth.

Failing to end up on the winning side it not a familiar feeling for any Rangers player who scores a hat-trick. Indeed, Igamane was the first Rangers player to experience this unwanted fate in 50 years.

Not since Derek Parlane netted a treble in a 3-3 draw with Kilmarnock at Ibrox on February 15, 1975 has a Rangers player scored three times in a match only to walk off the pitch without his win bonus.

Rangers came from behind three times on that day in what proved a memorable season for Jock Wallace's side as they secured their first title in 11 years, stopping Celtic's quest for ten-in-a-row in the process.

Derek Parlane in action for Rangers in 1978. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602

Philippe Clement's side, by contrast, are struggling to keep pace with their Glasgow rivals, with dropped points at St Mirren, Motherwell and Hibs either side of the 3-0 win over Celtic on January 2 rendering their title bid futile.

While Rangers continue to toil, particularly away from home in the Premiership, the form of Igamane is hugely positive with the young striker developing into a major asset for the Ibrox club who could be sold for a healthy profit in the future.

His transfer value is already soaring well beyond the fee Rangers paid for him, particularly after his Europa League exploits which saw him net a double in the 4-1 victory away to Nice before also finding the net in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham at Ibrox.

"I got a lot of questions early in the season about why we got a young guy from Morocco, so he's showing everybody the potential he has," Clement said. "He has made massive steps forward in the past three or four months. Technically, tactically and, for sure, physically. He's a smart boy and he wants to learn."