Brian Laudrup worried about Rangers missing Joe Aribo
Joe Aribo is “the whole package” and Rangers’ ability to cope with his absence is a concern, says Brian Laudrup.
The midfielder is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and the Danish ex-international believes an extended run in the competition could spell trouble for Gers.
The former Ibrox goalscorer has also tipped Ianis Hagi over Ryan Kent as the best option to fill the gap left by Aribo, with Juninho Bacuna another option.
“From the day Aribo joined Rangers, I thought here was a player with a huge future ahead of him,” writes Laudrup for The Scottish Daily Mail.
“The way he plays, he could play in many different leagues in Europe. For Rangers’ sake, I do hope he is not too good at the AFCON because the management team would not like to lose a player of his stature.
“But he’s going to draw a lot of attention, that’s for sure. It will be a huge task to replace Aribo in the Rangers team but it’s a chance for players to step forward.”
Big shoes to fill
The Nigerian is a key member of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s midfield and has already made 32 appearances this season, contributing six goals and four assists.
And while some of the concerns that he may have to be replaced on a permanent basis due to a January transfer appear to have died down slightly, a particularly strong campaign with his national team could change that.
Either way Aribo leaves a significant gap to fill in the mean time and it will be vital for some of the players mentioned by Laudrup to step up until his return, with the Light Blues looking to maintain their excellent form under their new Dutch manager.
Teams across Europe are currently tasked with adapting without some of their African stars and Gers’ ability to cope without Aribo over the next few weeks could be crucial to their hopes of adding a second consecutive league title or making a run in Europe.
With only 276 minutes played so far this season, if Bacuna was able to step in and produce it would be a significant bonus, as the Curacao international looks to make an impact at Ibrox following his summer move.
In other Rangers news, the club are reportedly one of three clubs left in the frame to sign this international.