Rangers loanee James Sands has ‘impressed’ BBC pundit Willie Miller
Rangers raised a few eyebrows when they announced the loan signing of 21-year-old midfielder James Sands from New York City in January.
The American has played half a dozen times for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side since his winter move across the Atlantic Ocean and he looked like he fitted right in against Dundee in the Scottish Cup.
He played the full 90 minutes at Dens Park alongside Ryan Jack in midfield but can also play in defence and BBC pundit Willie Miller has been impressed by what he’s seen from the 21-year-old so far.
“He picks everything up, he keeps it simple, he plays the passes, he keeps the ball moving and rolling and going forward,” Miller said on BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound podcast.
“There wasn’t backward or sideways passing all the time, you know most of his passes were forward-thinking, not truest direct but, you know with the intent of the team going forward, rather than just keeping possession so I was quite impressed with him.”
Give him time
Sands’ performance at Dens Park on Sunday was a very encouraging one for van Bronckhorst and Rangers fans but we can’t get too excited too soon.
He still has a long way to go to polish his all-around game and rocky times should be expected to come fairly soon.
But when they do, let’s not all jump on his back and crush any confidence he has gained from his recent performances, we’re better than that.
We need to understand that players develop at different rates and Sands might take that little while longer to really produce his best having had to move from the USA to Glasgow, which is quite the culture shock one would imagine.
He will still be here on loan next season which might be when we are more likely to see his best and if he can produce that on a consistent basis, then making his signature a permanent one is a no-brainer.
In other Rangers news, an Australian politician has sent an obscene message to Gers fans ahead of their groundbreaking 2022 match down under.