Steven Davis has to play for Rangers with Braga and Celtic on horizon – Nacho Novo
Steven Davis is “one of the best” and should play “all day long” according to Rangers hero Nacho Novo, after the midfielder featured in the St Mirren win.
The Northern Irishman hasn’t featured in any of the European knockout ties, and before Sunday (10 April) had only played five Scottish Premiership minutes since early December.
But with crucial games against Braga and Celtic coming up, and over an hour under his belt in Paisley, he has been tipped as the answer as Giovanni van Bronckhorst looks to keep the season alive.
Gers icon Novo told Premier Sports, via Football Scotland: “Steven Davis is a great player. I think he’s one of the best midfielders.
“He’s still got the passion to play and the engine to keep going. He can still perform and that’s what you want.
“But I don’t see him in training so I can’t judge how Giovanni sees things, as I’m not the manager.
“Yeah he knows (how to play in big games). But there are other players, who could be performing better in training and deserve to play.
“You have to respect the manager’s decision but for me, personally, I’d play Davis all day long.”
Frozen out
There has to be some reason why the former Southampton man has barely been seen for weeks.
He was fine in the 4-0 win, having replace the injured John Lundstram, although the opposition were poor.
If summer signing Lundstram is out for any length of time it could open the door for Davis, but van Bronckhorst has only just come round to featuring Aaron Ramsey regularly so it seems unlikely he would include both in big games.
Joe Aribo scored a spectacular goal and seems likely to keep his place, while Glen Kamara has also been ahead of the veteran in the pecking order.
But Novo has joined Kris Boyd as committed advocates of the 37-year-old so it seems odd that the current management have seen so little use in him.
In other Rangers news, the club have to move fast to find a resolution on a key squad issue.