Massimo Donati, once of Celtic, has backed his old club, Palermo, to rise back up the divisions, just like Rangers have done in Scotland.
Rangers were famously relegated to the bottom tier in 2012 with the new club forced to start from the bottom following liquidation the previous season.
They spent the subsequent four years battling back up through the divisions before finally securing promotion back to the top flight in 2016.
They’ve since set about establishing themselves as title challengers in the SPFL, with Rangers currently second in the table but level on points with first-placed Celtic.
Given his Celtic connections, Donati has watched Rangers’ rise and fall like the rest of us and has now experienced it with one of his old clubs, Palermo.
The Italian side were relegated down to Serie D this summer after The FIGC’s Federal Council punished them for administrative non-compliance.
They must now fight their way back up the divisions, but Donati, who is now a coach with Kilmarnock, believes they can do that, just as Rangers have done in Scotland.
“Yes, it’s true, even here we talked about it,” he told Gazzetta Dello Sport when asked about the situation and comparisons with Rangers.
“A club like Palermo doesn’t go unnoticed and if something happens like that it’s news.
“Of course, not much has been said about it, but the news has also arrived here and for those who have played in Palermo they cannot fail to displease us.
“Napoli, Fiorentina, Parma and other clubs have done it; I don’t see why Palermo can’t manage to make it.
“But we need an important and healthy society behind us if all the right requirements are met, even the Rosanero can do it.”
