Ex-Rangers ace says fans 'need to support' Philippe Clement and reveals player he'd 'love' Gers to sign

Belgian boss Clement has come under increasing pressure this season after falling nine points behind both Celtic and Aberdeen in the race for the Scottish Premiership title. However, Novo believes the 50-year-old is still the best man for the job despite an increasingly difficult start to the campaign.

The Spanish forward, who was a popular figure on the Ibrox terraces between 2004 and 2010, admits the situation at Rangers is ‘very tough’ at the moment, but thinks Clement requires the club’s full backing as he called on the Gers hierarchy to target new recruits in January.

“It’s still early in the season and we [Rangers] need to improve a lot of things,” said Novo. “Hopefully the boys come back from their week off and changes start happening soon. At the moment he's [Clement] the manager and we need to support him. Hopefully he's going to change something. If he leaves, then who are they going to bring? That’s another question.

“At the moment he's the club’s manager and we need to respect that. Rangers have just won two games in a row [in the league], it could have been better just to keep playing. But sometimes a reset is not a bad thing, and hopefully they come back stronger. It’s still early in the season.

“I’ve been very surprised [by Aberdeen]. Obviously they’re unbeaten in the league, and Jimmy Thelin has done very well. Normally managers when they come in say they're going to build and that it's going to take at least two or three years. But he’s done it in months, working on a small budget of two million, so that's very good. And they’re improving all the time.

“Lennon Miller is a very talented player, but I don't know if he will decide to go to Rangers or Celtic. It depends on how much he's going to play at Celtic, and how much he's going to play at Rangers. I would love it if Rangers signed him, because he's very good and very mature for his age. He’s only 18 but he looks as if he’s an experienced player. He can only get better and better. Maybe he will play more games for Rangers because they need quality and fresh legs.”

Novo, 45, also offered support to enigmatic striker Cyriel Dessers during an interview with Gambling.com, insisting the Nigerian striker is “a good player” as he called on his Rangers team-mate to support him more in the games ahead.

“Ally McCoist used to tell me all the time after I’d missed a chance, that you only need to worry when you are not creating any chances,” recalled Novo. “As long as you’re getting in areas and you create chances - even if you miss. But at the same time, a lot of football works on confidence. He needs to have a little bit more support and for more people to go forward to help him."