‘Immense’ – Kris Boyd names Rangers duo GvB must rely on
Kris Boyd believes Rangers midfielders John Lundstram and Ryan Jack have made themselves undroppable after their performances against Borussia Dortmund.
The duo started and were excellent as Rangers thumped Dortmund 4-2 in their own back yard on Thursday to give them a huge chance of progression in the Europa League knockout stages.
Now Boyd, who was writing in his column for the Scottish Sun, says he doesn’t see how Steven Davis and Glen Kamara could possibly oust them from the side in their current form.
“Steven Davis is up there with Barry Ferguson as one of the best I played with, while Glen Kamara has been outstanding for Rangers,” he wrote.
“But I just don’t see them ousting Jack and Lundstram now. Lundstram hasn’t exactly had it easy since coming to the club, with the high-earning midfielder struggling to make an initial impression.
“But the way that he played in Germany on Thursday evening was immense.
“He’s now Gio’s go-to guy in the games that matter along with Jack, who has thankfully recovered from the bad injury he suffered a year ago. The way he plays brings something to the team that no other player at the club can really provide.
“He knows when to move the ball quickly and when to put his foot on it and slow the game down. And in big games that’s a strength that managers want to be able to rely on.
“The key for Rangers is keeping Jack and Lundstram available between now and the end of the season.”
Battle ready
Sometimes in a title race the best thing a manager can do is bring battle-ready stars into the team to deal with the experience of pressure.
Kamara was part of the side that won the title last season and Davis is a legend on the blue half of Glasgow, but their performances this season have been hot and cold at best.
Jack has found himself as one of the most underrated midfielders in Scotland due to his injury problems, but his skillset seems to be the perfect fit for Van Bronckhorst’s system and Lundstram has hit form at the perfect time.
Because of that, they now need to find themselves in the starting lineup more often than not.
Their defensive sturdiness allows Joe Aribo to attack with more freedom while also providing a solid base to build attacks from. That’s the perfect recipe for a second consecutive title.
In other Rangers news, Rangers to play behind-closed-doors friendly next week v English side – report