Hugh Keevins has asked Rangers fans to apologise and admits that he jumped the gun too quickly as well.

This comes as Youssef Chermiti managed to silence his critics after his impressive hat-trick against Hearts.

In the build-up to the game, a lot was made of Chermiti’s lack of end product, but he scored three goals to ensure Rangers won 4-2.

Hugh Keevins wants Rangers fans to apologise to Kevin Thelwell

Kevin Thelwell’s tenure at Ibrox did not go as many thought it would after he left Everton to move to Glasgow.

At the time of his sacking, what was viewed as his biggest failure was sanctioning £8m for Chermiti’s transfer.

This came after Thelwell oversaw his move to Everton, and it did not pan out; he believed that things would be different at Rangers.

It turns out that the 21-year-old is actually starting to show why he was signed, and perhaps the club and fans were too harsh on the man who brought him to Ibrox.

This is what Keevins has alluded to in his recent column in the Daily Record.

He believes that the fans owe Thelwell an apology and also admits that he got it wrong about the former Everton forward.

Keevins wrote: “I hold my hands up too. Two days before Youssef’s hat-trick against Hearts, I said on radio he was the third-best striker at Ibrox, words for which I have now started to suffer.

“But does all of this not mean the Rangers fans went too early with their dismissal of Chermiti?

“I could have sworn they decried the player and wondered why he wasn’t shipped out of Ibrox during the last transfer window.

“So, if the pundits are wrong, the fans must be wrong too. And Thelwell should get an apology.

“Sometimes, self-examination and humility might not go amiss.”

How Danny Rohl has managed to get a tune out of Chermiti

Danny Rohl’s “human-first” approach has certainly paid off with Chermiti, a player who needed a manager to show confidence in him.

The Gers boss could have dropped him after he was struggling, but by continuing to select him, he sent a message to the striker that he has unwavering faith in him.

Even in the press conferences, he has always backed the 21-year-old and has never thrown him under the bus, stating that he is a work in progress.

Rohl has also realised that Chermiti works well with another striker next to him, which is why he started Ryan Naderi against Hearts, and it could be something fans see a lot more of in the coming weeks.