Steven Gerrard waxes lyrical of Joe Aribo in Rangers win v Brondby
Rangers finally picked up their first win of the Europa League group campaign on Thursday night, winning 2-0 at Ibrox against Brondby.
Most of the players impressed as the Bears kept their chances of progressing into the knockout stages of the competition alive following back-to-back losses.
Joe Aribo, 25, was one of the players who impressed Steven Gerrard, and the Rangers manager tipped him for a huge move if he can manage to become more consistent going forward.
“What I’ve said to Joe is that ‘You’re a much better player when you play angry, in a nice way,” Gerrard said of the Nigerian international after the game (via The Athletic)
“Flex your muscles. You’re 6ft 3. You’re a big strong lad. Go and leave it on a few. Go and put yourself about and when he does he is a joy to watch.
“I thought his first 45-minute performance tonight was outstanding… If he can find that performance consistently over 90 minutes we’ll be lucky to keep a hold of him.”
Deserved praise
Gerrard does not hesitate to shower accolades on his players if they are deserving of it, but it is not every time that he moots a potential exit for one of his top stars.
Aribo hardly makes the front pages, but he has been a crucial player for Rangers from the moment he arrived at Ibrox.
Being a former midfielder, Gerrard knows exactly what Premier League and Champions League sides want from players in the position.
He saw it against Brondby and was forced to admit holding on to him could prove herculean going forward.
Some scouts would have been watching the game last night, and Aribo would have caught attention.
The question is whether he can replicate last night’s display on a consistent basis.
He is still developing and growing as a player, though, but there is no denying that he has huge potential, and he is capable of playing for the bigwigs down south if he keeps getting better.
Gerrard knows it.
In other Rangers news, Bears fans will be buzzing with major Jim White-talkSPORT update on Thursday.