Steven Pressley ‘not convinced’ by Rangers int’l, urges Gerrard to swing axe v Gala
Steven Pressley has admitted that he is still yet to be convinced by Rangers playmaker Ianis Hagi.
The ex-Gers defender claimed that the Romania international does have his merits, but is not suited to matches that require Steven Gerrard’s men to do more running and hit teams on the break.
With that in mind, the pundit has argued that his former club should start with 25-year-old Jordan Jones on the wing against Galatasaray on Thursday night.
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, he said: “I think that Hagi is an interesting player.
“For me, Hagi’s a home player. I think Hagi is a player that when you have hold of the ball, at Ibrox, and you’re trying to break things down, he’s the type of player that can give you the moment.
“But I’m not convinced that, for example, tomorrow night when they play Galatasaray, he’s starter for me. I would consider Jones in this type of game. I think you need greater legs against Galatasaray. You might not have as much of the ball as you normally do, and you might be asked to defend and counter more. Jones can give you that.
“I think Hagi’s a good signing in the respect that he can give you that option when you’re playing at home and things are very tight, but there’s got to be balance there.”
Who should Gerrard start on Thursday night?
We’d be tempted to go with Jones too, truth be told.
The 25-year-old look inspired on Sunday against Motherwell, and that’s not just because he grabbed his first goal in a Rangers shirt.
His pass accuracy, dribble success rate, and defensive duel win rate were all considerably higher than his averages from last season, as per Wyscout, and he had the distinct look of a player who had rediscovered some of the spark that convinced the Gers to make their move in the first place.
It would be a shame to see him dropped after such a promising display.
In other Rangers news, ‘Fantastic’ – Shaun Maloney blown away by Rangers new signing.