Giovanni van Bronckhorst has long-term plan for Nathan Patterson at Rangers
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that he has a long-term plan for Nathan Patterson at Rangers.
Speaking to the Scottish Herald, the Dutchman praised the 20-year-old right-back after he started against Lyon in the Europa League.
Patterson has James Tavernier in front of him at the moment, but it seems as if van Bronckhorst sees a special player just waiting to get out.
He said: “I’m really happy with Nathan.
“A young player who is very talented and an international for Scotland.
“You can see what he brings to the team, especially the right full-back position. I have two players who can play there and contribute a lot to this team.
“His performance on Thursday was really good, and I’m happy with him and looking forward to working with him for a longer time and to develop Nathan into a better player.
“He wants to learn, so I think that’s very important for a young player.”
High praise from van Bronckhorst.
Now, given that van Bronckhorst was a pretty special player himself, this is high praise for the right-back.
Now, the problem he has is that Tavernier is the captain, and despite ageing, he still consistently provides end product for his side.
So, Patterson faces a proper battle to get in the side.
It shows how good he is that he doesn’t play regularly for his club, but he is a regular in the Scottish national team.
Therefore, it is clear that the 20-year-old has a huge future, and hopefully, that will be at Ibrox and not somewhere else.
Certainly, van Bronckhorst is saying all the right things about Patterson, but now he has to give him game time.
You would think that with a busy festive period coming up, we should see more of Patterson, but in the big games like the Old Firm, we would be shocked if Tavernier doesn’t start.
Ultimately, he is still the first-choice right-back despite Patterson’s obvious talent.
In other Rangers news, two Hearts Super Fans have previewed the match on Sunday.