Fashion Sakala's incredible rags-to-riches story of becoming a top footballer has something of a fairy-tale about it.

From hunting to feed his family to playing in a European Final in under a decade is quite the testament to his willpower and talent.

He's been a solid Rangers player since signing on a free transfer from Oostende last summer and his numbers tell a persuasive story.

19 goal contributions in 50 appearances is decent going under any circumstances but it's much more impressive when you drill into the detail.

Sakala spent most of his time on the bench last season and when you take into account his time on the pitch, he produced a goal or assist every 114 minutes.

For comparison, Alfredo Morelos only managed a contribution once every 122.

In a team that struggled for numbers from its front players that's a very impressive underlying return and suggests the Zambian may have been underutilised.

But, as we know, numbers are not everything. Any scout worth their salt will tell you that details gleaned from the data needs backed up by the eye.

And the jet-heeled forward didn't convince either of his two managers last season he was the answer to an obvious Rangers problem - not scoring or creating enough goals.

Known to be a positive, happy-go-lucky character this was nothing to do with his application or commitment.

Sakala is simply one of those players whose very nature on the field is erratic. He's capable of something brilliant one minute and maddening the next.

It's not hard to see a situation where a cool, collected customer like Giovanni van Bronckhorst feels such idiosyncrasies are just not for him.

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Sakala lacks the core technique that top players from Holland take for granted and are developed from toddler age. 

He has long been considered a late bloomer, a rough diamond waiting to be polished. It's something the player himself is aware of.

“I came here like a chicken without a head,” Sakala said in a Belgian newspaper interview while at Oostende. “In Zambia, I played football on intuition. I have now learned so much.”

That may be true, but Rangers is no place to learn your trade. Players who don't arrive ready to hit the ground running soon fall foul of a demanding fan base. 

Interestingly, Sakala has done well on that front, particularly given his ups and downs. The fans love his enthusiasm and many will point out that his numbers suggest a very good player indeed lurks tantalisingly within reach. But while he's won hearts by playing with a smile on his face and embracing life in Scotland, he hasn't convinced the minds of the people that matter on the pitch.

He's not played at all this season and wasn't even on the bench to face Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Rangers have moved to significantly strengthen their attack this summer with the additions of Antonio Colak, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo and Malik Tillman. 

Competition is now fierce and breaking through into the first team will require even more quality than last year. Sakala will have to assess how likely that scenario is.

There's a growing sense that, for his own good, it might be wise for Sakala to consider an unhappy ending to his Rangers fairy-tale.

This piece is an extract from today’s Rangers Insider newsletter, which is emailed out at 5pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Rangers Review team.

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