Ibrox View: Rarely seen Rangers ace has surely saved his Gers career after recent showings
Rangers Opinion
This time last month, you wouldn’t have been overly surprised to see Matt Polster leave Ibrox before the transfer window slammed shut at the end of January.
The American has struggled for game time or regular first team opportunities in Glasgow this season, and, as per the Scottish Sun, there were a number of sides north of the border reportedly willing to offer him an escape route.
Instead, however, the deadline came and went with no movement on the utility man’s behalf, and he was even afforded a rare pair of Scottish Premiership starts on against Ross County and then again on Saturday when Aberdeen came to town.
Granted, it came as a result of skipper James Tavernier only being fit enough for the bench, but nonetheless, it was a surprising turn of events for a man who looked destined for the exit just weeks ago.
But how did Polster actually fair over the past two matches, and what do they mean for his long term future at Ibrox?
Well, while it would be foolish to judge a player based on two outings, you would have to say that there is more than enough here to suggest that he can still convince Steven Gerrard of his worth.
Over the course of the two matches he made a total of eight interceptions and six clearances, and won a very respectable nine defensive duels against the Dons at the weekend, as per Wyscout.
On the front foot he was less effective, totalling just five successful dribbles over the two games, compared to Tavernier’s averaged of 4.56 per game, but all things considered, these were two solid and promising displays from the American.
The most obvious challenge he could face in the coming weeks is the continued ascension of starlet Nathan Patterson, but there is absolutely no reason to believe that, for the time being at least, Polster can’t be a fixture in Gerrard’s match day squad.
That’s got to be deemed a success given the speculation surrounding him in the recent past.
In other Rangers news, McAvennie tells reported Gers target to spurn Ibrox move.