Nacho Novo has delivered a passionate 'will never give up' backing of Giovanni van Bronckhorst as he bids to turn Rangers' fortunes around.
The Dutchman and his troops suffered a week to forget as they lost out 4-0 in the first Old Firm derby of the season to Celtic before days later suffering a huge Champions League group stage opening game loss to Ajax by the same score in Amsterdam.
Questions were raised against the Dutchman on the back of the two defeats and they now get set to face a Napoli side firing on all fronts. They sit top of Serie A with four wins and two draws from six games while they hammered Liverpool in last week's Group A opener. Rangers hero Novo believes Van Bronckhorst would have been hurting after the loss to Ajax and he has no doubt that the Ibrox gaffer and his Light Blues side will turn things around and come good once again.
READ MORE: Ally McCoist vents Rangers fury as he labels two goals 'horrendous' and makes 'no spirit' claim
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Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said: “Listen, I know Gio very well and he’s not someone to give up.
“He never gave up as a player and he’ll never give up as a manager.
“I know that’s what some people maybe think after he said Rangers couldn’t compete in the Champions League, but that’s not Giovanni — trust me.
“I have got to know him well from playing alongside him for Fernando’s charity and he’s a great boy.
“At the end of the day he’s just being honest with what he said because it IS difficult to compete with teams who have millions and millions to spend on players.
“But that doesn’t mean he’s given up, and I would say to people to support him. He wasn’t trying to make any excuses.
“Remember, Ajax are a very good team and they have sold a lot of their players for big money in recent years.
“Gio would have been hurting after that game but the best thing for him now is for the team to fight back and get going again.
“The past is past and everyone has to learn from what’s happened. Players always make mistakes and players can always do better.
“But as for Gio, I don’t doubt him. No way. He is a great manager and a great person.
“I believe in him and this team. We will come good, I am sure of it, and I can guarantee he will never give up.”
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