Martyn Waghorn has been backed to carry his superb Championship scoring form into Scotland’s top flight with Rangers next term.

The striker netted 28 goals in all competitions for Mark Warburton’s side this season as he made an immediate impact north of the border following his summer switch from Wigan.

Waghorn was well on course to break through the 40-goal barrier before he suffered a knee injury in the Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock in February.

That lengthy lay-off denied him the chance to add to his tally as Warburton’s side clinched the second tier title and ruled him out of the Petrofac Training Cup win over Peterhead and Old Firm triumph against Celtic at Hampden.

Having returned to action to take on St Mirren and Hibernian in the closing fixtures of the campaign, the 26-year-old will now join up with the Gers squad later this month as he looks to get up to speed for the big kick-off.

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And former Ibrox striker Jonatan Johansson is confident Waghorn can pick up where he left off and become a prolific part of the Light Blues’ forward line once again next term.

He told SportTimes: “I watched Martyn play a lot of times this season and he is a great finisher.

“Rangers will create chances in the Premiership, there is no doubt about it, because they are fantastic going forward. They have shown that in the league and the cups.

“They will create chances and I have no doubt that Martyn will get goals again.

“He is difficult to mark when he comes in off the wing and he is capable of playing in several positions. He will score goals again for Rangers next season.

“It was a shame that he got injured when he did this year because he was playing well and scoring goals and he ended up missing a lot of important games.

“But that will make him even hungrier next season and he will be determined to get as many goals as he can next season.

“You can’t always go into a season with a number in your head. Everyone just wants to score as many goals as possible.

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“The main thing is to convince the manager every week that you should be a starter and then you have to take your chance when you get it.

“If you can help the team win games, then that is the most important thing. If you can score and help them, then that is great.

“The goals will come for Martyn and we will see how many he gets. He will want to get a place in the team, play well and put away as many chances as he can.”