Clint Hill: Niko Kranjcar will handle the weight of expectation at Rangers and shine at Ibrox

The Croatian came in for criticism in the wake of the Premiership opener against Hamilton on Saturday as he continues to build up his fitness and sharpness following his summer switch to Ibrox.

Boss Mark Warburton backed Kranjcar to quickly get up to speed this week and saw the 31-year-old score a superb opener in the 5-0 League Cup win over Peterhead.

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And Hill has no doubt that his former QPR team-mate will be able to handle the pressure on his shoulders as the Gers bid for the top flight title in the coming months.

He said: “Niko’s a top player and he wants to do well. He fully relishes the opportunity that he’s got at Rangers, like every other player.

“We were all disappointed on Saturday. We want to win games. We couldn’t do that so no-one came off thinking ‘I had a good game’.

“We were disappointed because we know the expectations at this great club. You’ve got to win your games.

“He’s a quality player. If you get him in the right positions, like we did against Peterhead, then he’ll deliver.

“That goal was first class, out of the top drawer. You could see his range of passing and vision as well.

“The more games he plays, the more minutes he gets in his legs, his performance levels will only get higher.

“I think he’s doing okay and he’s a good player! The expectations at this football club are very, very high and if you fall below them then people will let you know and rightly so. I think he’s done well and hopefully he can carry that on.”