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Rangers have faith that fit-again Jelavic will replace Miller's goals

Lisa Gray
Thursday 20 January 2011 01:00 GMT
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Steven Davis believes Nikica Jelavic has the potential to fill the void left by Kenny Miller if he leaves Rangers for Bursaspor.

The striker has been holding talks with the Turkish champions, after rejecting a move to Birmingham, and could be set for a swift departure if both clubs agree a fee.

Miller's potential exit comes at the same time as fellow forward Jelavic's return to action, with the Croatian making his comeback after almost four months on the sidelines in Tuesday night's 1-0 win over Inverness. Davis grabbed the only goal of the game in the Scottish Premier League game at Ibrox, but has backed Jelavic to be back on top form soon after coming off the bench for the last half hour.

Asked if the £4m summer signing could be the man to replace Miller as Rangers' goal-getter, the midfielder said: "I don't see why not. He started the season really well and got four goals in six or seven games to start with. He has shown signs that he can be a big player for us. The injury was a major set-back and it will be good to have him back.

"It was great to see him back last night," Davis added. "He came to the club and started off really well and was starting to find his feet in the team when he got the injury. He has been out for a long time now so we are really getting a new signing once he gets a few games under his belt and gets back to his best."

Birmingham revealed earlier this week they had lost the race for Miller's signature after the 31-year-old – who is out of contract at the end of the season – was made an "irresistible" offer by Bursaspor.

"The players would like him to stay," said Davis. "He has been a big asset for us this season with the number of goals he has scored. That would be difficult to replace but Kenny has to do what is right for himself. Only Kenny really knows the situation so to be honest I don't really know what the situation is at the moment."

Davis' strike just before half-time proved decisive as Rangers moved to within two points of Celtic, with two games in hand. With Miller possibly having played his last game for the Scottish champions, Davis knows others will now need to step up and contribute to the goals tally. "I don't think I'll be scoring that many but it's important for the midfield players to chip in with some goals," he said. "We've seen that in the last few games and the goals have been spread out a bit, which is important. Hopefully the boys can continue to do that."

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