Manucho's threat lurks over Rangers

It may now be Rangers' dubious pleasure to get an early close-up of the player tipped by some to follow in the illustrious footsteps of those outstanding talents from the Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

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The performances of Manchester United striker Manucho during the recent Africa Cup of Nations provided many of the highlights from what is widely regarded as the greatest-ever staging of that tournament. His thunderbolt for Angola against Egypt was the exceptional pick of an impressive bunch of four goals that proved United had been doing their homework

The 24-year-old was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Angolan club Petro Atletico last month - after a highly impressive trial spell - but strict Home Office work-permit regulations mean he is, as yet, unable to turn out for his new team. Hence the need to put him out on loan, an option which prompted more than 20 clubs to contact United with pleading requests before Panathinaikos were granted Manucho's services.

For a Portuguese-speaking player, the presence of Jose Peseiro in the hot seat of the Athens club was a crucial consideration in Ferguson's thinking about where he should be deposited.

Manucho was granted time off after his exertions in Ghana and missed the UEFA Cup last-32 first leg against Rangers, which finished goalless at Ibrox last Wednesday.

However, the striker has since arrived in Greece to train with his new team-mates and he provides Peseiro with an intriguing option ahead of Thursday night's return.

Scotland assistant coach Terry Butcher covered the Africa Cup of Nations for the BBC and believes his former club must hope Manucho is kept under wraps for their trip to Athens.

"I watched Manucho play for Angola and was very impressed by what I saw," said ex-Rangers captain Butcher. "He will be a major threat if he is involved.

"He is a big lad with great ability and he scored a fantastic 25-yarder against Egypt. He uses his strength very well and he is an extremely intelligent player.

"Manucho won't be pushed around or battered out of a game. Added to that, he certainly knows where the goal is. He can improve on aspects of his game, but he is a handful - no doubt about that. You can see he just loves playing football. He does a lot of things very much off the cuff and is always looking to move into dangerous positions. Manchester United have got a very good player - one with the potential to develop into an exceptional striker."

That qualifies as high praise indeed from the man who excelled at centre-back for the Ibrox men during the Graeme Souness era, as well as gathering 77 caps for England.

Butcher believes Manucho would present David Weir and Carlos Cuellar with a whole new set of problems after their relatively comfortable first encounter with Panathinaikos.

"Manucho can lead the line well, which is always an important attribute in European matches," said Butcher. "I wouldn't say he is an out-and-out solitary striker but he could handle that role. The key for Rangers would be to push him as far away from goal as possible. The defence will have to keep a close eye on him because he can score all types of goals. He is as much of a threat in the air as he is on the ground.

"You don't know what you will get from Manucho because he is still relatively raw and inexperienced. But when he is on his game, then he is the type of player who will give any defence a hard time."

Angola exited the tournament at the quarter-final stage, but head coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves believes Manucho has already been identified as a future star after his performances.

"Manucho has some great qualities as a player that everyone could see," said Goncalves. "He had never played before at such a high level. That tournament was his first exposure to that type of competition and he scored a goal in every game he played. At Manchester United, he will develop to become an even better player."