MICHAEL BEALE never doubted what Antonio Colak would bring to the Rangers attack once he got back up to speed this term.
And the Ibrox boss is delighted to see the striker fit and firing once again after capping a fine performance against Hibernian with a clinical Easter Road brace.
Colak carried much of the scoring burden during the first half of the campaign amid questions over the form and fitness of forward partner Alfredo Morelos.
The Croatian netted 14 times for Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side before an injury setback just before the World Cup break ruled him out of action for several weeks.
It has taken time for Colak to get back into the groove under Beale's guidance but he was on the scoresheet during the Scottish Cup win over Partick Thistle.
An impressive all-round showing against Kilmarnock at the weekend was enough to earn him a start for the trip to Leith as Morelos had to settle for a second half cameo.
READ MORE: Hibernian 1 Rangers 4: Best of the lot in fine win for Michael Beale
And Beale was once again full of praise of the 29-year-old as he took his tally for the season to 17 goals and played his part in an emphatic victory on Wednesday night.
Beale said: "Just got natural enthusiasm. He goes and presses and works for his team-mates. He is part of the team.
"I am delighted for him because he didn’t score at the weekend and his whole game is not about scoring goals. Some of his link play, his movement, he is infectious in terms of his energy.
READ MORE: Michael Beale makes eight goal claim as Rangers ease to win over Hibs
"He has not been able to show me what he has because he got injured before I came in and he has been playing bit parts here and there.
"The last few weeks he has started to look really fit, his personality has come out in the group. I am delighted for him.
"I thought him and Fashion as a front two were really good, Ryan behind, Todd and Nico got up to the game, Ryan Jack was outstanding.
"I thought it was a really top performance and you could see that with the way the stadium was at the end. The home fans had obviously left so we had been dominant in the game."
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