Thomas Kind Bendiksen snubs Ibrox contract to join Tromso

THOMAS Kind Bendiksen has completed his move from Rangers to Tromso.Earlier this week, Rangers manager Ally McCoist revealed the Norwegian midfielder was heading home and Tromso yesterday announced he had signed a three-year contract.

Rangers had offered the 22-year-old a new contract and they say they will be entitled to compensation following his move.

Bendiksen, whose contract had expired, struggled to make an impact after signing for Rangers in August 2007, with his progress hindered by a serious knee injury. But he scored in a friendly defeat by Hamburg in November and made his first competitive start for the club in a 2-1 win over Dunfermline last month. Bendiksen made two more substitute appearances, in victories over Hibernian and Inverness, but his heart was set on a return home. Bendiksen told Tromso’s official website: “I had a very good contract offer from Rangers but I said ‘no thanks’. Tromso IL are a good club with ambitions to be even better.

“I aim to play my way to a permanent place in the team and look forward to an exciting season, both at home and not least in the Europa League.”

Bendiksen’s departure comes amid a shortage of attacking options for McCoist, who vowed to hold transfer talks with chairman Craig Whyte after yesterday’s 3-0 win over Motherwell, which kept Rangers two points behind Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Celtic.

Nikica Jelavic, the subject of mounting transfer speculation, missed the game with a groin strain while Kyle Lafferty was stretchered off early on with a hamstring injury that McCoist fears will keep the forward out for four to five weeks.

With Steven Naismith ruled out for the season with a knee injury, David Healy was the only experienced striker fit enough to take on Motherwell. Healy was making his first SPL start of the season and responded with his first goal of the campaign to give Rangers the lead 10 minutes before the break.

The 32-year-old had previously struggled to make an impact for Rangers but McCoist was happy with his display on Monday. “Even outwith his goal, I thought Healy’s performance in terms of forward play was really good,” McCoist said. “If I had one criticism of our front men in recent weeks, it would probably be that the ball hasn’t been sticking enough for us. It’s not been solid, it’s not been tight and we’ve not been allowed to bring people in.

“It was important that we made that change and I thought David Healy did it really well. He showed up, was taking a touch and bringing people in.”

One of Healy’s former managers, Billy Davies, was at the game working for Rangers TV and has backed the Northern Ireland record goalscorer to seize his chance. Former Rangers midfielder Davies said: “I was fortunate enough to have him at Preston and he was a terrific player for us at that time and he has been an excellent international player.

“What David needs now is a run of games. He had the opportunity to come in and do what he does best and score and he did that. It was a typical David Healy finish. The one thing he gives you is maximum commitment. That goal will have done him the world of good. You don’t have the career record he has without being a good player and the other thing about him is that he is a very honest lad and works very hard.”

McCoist is looking for reinforcements though and refused to rule out a contract offer to former Ibrox striker Nacho Novo, who trained with his former team-mates during the festive season.

A proposed loan move for John Fleck to Sheffield United looks to be off after the attacking midfielder replaced Lafferty against Motherwell, and McCoist will now hope to persuade Whyte to allow him to bring in his targets.