‘Outstanding’ – Steven Gerrard delighted with rarely-seen Rangers ace v Standard
Steven Gerrard was delighted with the cameo of Rangers defender Calvin Bassey in the 2-0 win against Standard Liege on Thursday.
The 20-year-old came on in Belgium after Borna Barisic had to be replaced due to an unfortunate injury picked up by the Croatian.
Bassey was introduced just before the break with the scores at 1-0 and helped the Gers keep yet another clean-sheet in all competitions.
Gerrard claimed that the entire Rangers set up are proud of the youngster, and believe he can continue to get even better at Ibrox.
“I thought he (Bassey) was outstanding, coming into a game of that level with so little experience,” he said after the game.
“We are all proud of him and with time we believe we can develop him even further. He is in a good place and he is ready, every time he has been called upon he has produced.”
Defensively, Bassey was superb and it made no difference after losing the valuable experience of Barisic in such an important game.
The 20-year-old made six interceptions according to WyScout, as well as winning 80% of his loose ball duels in Belgium.
Barisic is known for his offensive output down the left-hand side, and that wasn’t hampered by Bassey, who made three progressive runs – his most in one game this season.
With Livingston coming to Ibrox on Sunday, it is likely that the young defender will get the chance to start and impress once again.
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