Rangers fans have been urged to remain patient with Sam Lammers, as the Dutchman will come good in the end.
Former Holland international Kevin Hofland coached the £3.5m frontman during his time at PSV.
The 26-year-old has endured a difficult start to life in Scotland, misfiring in front of goal and struggling with his overall performances.
He was one of several summer signings sanctioned by Michael Beale.
And while Lammers' Ibrox career has yet to pick up, Hofland — who could have signed for the Ibrox side under Dick Advocaat — says he’s among the best players he’s ever coached.
He told the Scottish Sun: “I worked with Sam all three seasons he was with PSV. He scored a lot of goals — he could score easily, with both feet and his head.
“In terms of technical ability, I never saw anyone like him. There was no one at PSV who had any doubts that he would have a professional career.
“In the Netherlands, newspapers compared him to Ruud van Nistelrooy. But at the club we didn’t put him under that pressure.
“Working with him every day, I saw what kind of boy Sam was — and probably still is. As a person, he was shy. Maybe a little too shy but that was just his nature.
“On and off the field he was a very good character. But I always encouraged him to try to be more aggressive. We stressed to him that really top strikers had to be selfish.
“I hoped as he grew more experienced and understood what was needed to be a top striker, he would develop in that way.
“But I don’t know if he has. I didn’t read too much about him in the last few years when he was playing in Italy.
“Then when I saw he’d moved to Scotland I hoped he had learned to be more physical, as the game in the UK is tougher than it is in Holland.
“He was never someone who needed a cuddle from coaches or to be given any kind of mental reassurance.
“He was smart enough to know what he needed to do to succeed. But it came back to the nature of his personality.”
Lammers scored 30 goals in 63 games for Jong PSV between 2015 and 2018.
Hofland added: “He’s an out-and-out striker. That’s his position. He can play as a No 10 but he’s a goalscorer.”
