BONGANI ZUNGU had no doubt that Allan McGregor would rise to the Old Firm occasion on Saturday as his derby heroics inspired Rangers to victory over Celtic at Ibrox.
The 38-year-old produced a Man of the Match showing as a string of superb stops - including one from a Leigh Griffiths strike in the first half - kept Rangers in a game that they were second best in for long spells.
His sterling efforts proved crucial as Nir Bitton saw red and Callum McGregor scored an own goal that condemned Celtic to a second derby defeat of the season and left them facing a 19 point deficit - albeit with three games in hand - in the Premiership title race.
Keeper McGregor has been one of the most important and consistent performers of the season so far for Steven Gerrard's side and his influence will be crucial in the coming months as the Gers look to clinch the league crown.
The stunning showing against Celtic will go down as one of his most impressive of the campaign and Zungu knows how influential the Ibrox hero is on and off the park.
Zungu said: “He is an incredible person, he is an incredible player and professional and you saw against Celtic how important a player he is for this club and the team.
“He was one of the players that when I came here he spoke to me and helped me settle in.
“He’s a really nice guy, even if he shouts at the defence a lot.
“He brings that personality onto the pitch. He is a winner and he knows what it takes. Other players obviously feed off that.
“The gaffer always says that big players rise to the challenge in big games and that’s exactly what Allan did against Celtic.
“His saves were incredible, and they came at important moments in the match. He was incredible.”
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