Rangers must start with Nathan Patterson v Lyon
Rangers will face Lyon in the Europa League clash on Thursday night in France.
Both the teams have already qualified for the knock-out stages, and therefore the two managers can experiment with their teams.
The Gers have made a strong start under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, winning four games in a row, and the Dutchman will love to keep the winning momentum going.
Van Brockhorst has already hinted that he will make changes to the side, and will give chances to fringe players to impress him.
That brings Nathan Patterson into the discussion.
The 20-year-old is a highly-rated young talent, with Barry Ferguson previously (26 November) hailing him as “exceptional”.
The youngster hasn’t started since the Dutchman took charge of the club, with Van Bronckhorst preferring James Tavernier in the right-back role.
This is a perfect opportunity for the Dutch boss to bring Patterson to the side, and form a strong opinion about him.
The right-back finds himself in an interesting situation. He is gradually establishing himself in the national team squad for Scotland, where he has started three of the four games since Euro 2020.
While he struggles to break into the first team at Ibrox, his reputation continues to rise. And with that comes natural interest from clubs elsewhere.
Aston Villa are keen to take him to Villa Park, with Steven Gerrard being now at the helm. Everton showed interest in him in the summer of 2020 [Scottish Daily Mail], and they are expected to return with another offer.
Unless he plays regularly, Rangers may even struggle to demand a high transfer fee for him. Nevertheless, he deserves a chance on Thursday night.
In other Rangers news, this Ger could get his first start of the season against Lyon.