Gerrard says why Helandar was dropped to Rangers bench v Standard Liege
Steven Gerrard has explained that Filip Helander is ‘carrying a bit of a kick’ and that is why he was dropped to the Rangers bench against Standard Liege.
Some Gers fans were surprised that Helander wasn’t starting the Europa League tie after his excellent performance against Celtic last weekend.
But, speaking to BT Sport on their live coverage of Rangers v Liege in Belgium, Gerrard said that even though Helander is suffering with “a kick”, Rangers “can still call on him if required”.
Gerrard also said that Leon Balogun’s impressive performances in training meant he was given the nod for the opening Europa League group game.
The Gers manager also cited his side’s busy schedule as a reason for other rotations in the squad, as Steven Davis and Brandon Barker dropped to the bench in place of Ryan Kent and Ianis Hagi.
The Helander update will be music to Gers fans’ ears as they will not want to lose the Swedish defender who has impressed in recent weeks.
Connor Goldson grabbed the headlines against Celtic in last weekend’s Old Firm game, but Helander played incredibly well and prevented the Hoops attack from getting anywhere near Allan McGregor’s goal.
He was a colossus in the air and repelled all the long balls Celtic sent forward. He looks to be getting better and better each time he pulls on the Rangers shirt and it is good news that he won’t be sidelined for an extended period of time.
In other Rangers news, Neil Lennon demands an apology after an honest Celtic assessment on BBC from a former Rangers star.