Rangers caretaker manager Graeme Murty has explained that he knows how good Niko Kranjcar is as he has experience of playing against the Croatian.
The 32-year-old, who joined the Gers from New York Cosmos last summer, is currently sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury.
He has thus far made 15 appearances in all competitions for Rangers, scoring three times and setting up as many assists.
And Murty, who revealed that Kranjcar is making good progress from his injury, insisted that he is aware of the midfielder’s quality as he had played against him.
The 42-year-old went on to recount an incident when he had to be taken off due to Kranjcar’s brilliance as he stated that the former Portsmouth star also remembers the match.
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“Niko is getting on really well actually and he is a great character, he is very into his football and has great knowledge”, Murty told the club’s official site.
“Please do not look at games that Niko has played in where I have played against him because it is not good.
"It does not make good reading for me – Portsmouth beat Reading 7-4 and I got taken off!
“I got taken off just after Niko scored so I have great memories of how good he is.
“Steve Coppell said to me “Are you ever going to get tight to him?” and I said I can’t I don’t even know where he is.
"He was supposed to be playing on my side and I never saw him the whole game.
“He is delighted in reminding me of that every time I see him; he remembers playing against me with a big smile on his face.”
Kranjcar, whose present contract with Rangers runs until 2018, counts Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers amongst his former employers.
