Ally McCoist backs John Souttar for success with Rangers
Rangers legend Ally McCoist is confident that Hearts defender John Souttar would do well for the Ibrox giants next season after the latter’s impressive performance in the Scottish Cup Final on Saturday.
Souttar will leave Hearts for Rangers in the summer transfer window with a pre-contract deal already agreed.
McCoist was quoted in a report by Daily Record where he was all praise for Souttar but also admitted that the defender was in an awkward situation while playing the match against his new employers.
“It was a tough gig for him. You’ve got to have character when you move to Rangers and Celtic. It’s the bare minimum required at the Old Firm,” he said.
“He was under a lot of scrutiny but I thought he came through it with flying colours.
“I thought he was immense. He dealt with it all so well and so did big Craig Halkett, another boy I know really well. But Souttar showed on Saturday he’s more than up for the challenge.
“He was terrific at Hampden. There were a couple of forward runs and I thought he defended superbly. The ball was like a magnet to his head for a period.”
Injury concerns
Souttar, who played 33 matches last season, will leave Hearts after spending six seasons at the club.
The centre-back, who penned a pre-contract at Ibrox in January, was one of the best outfield players in the Scottish Cup final despite coming into the match after a two-match injury absence.
Despite being a reliable presence at the back, the major concern about Souttar is his frequent injuries which have meant that he has missed a lot of matches in the recent past.
If he stays fit, Rangers would be in safe hands at the back even if Connor Goldson leaves the club who is likely to depart once his contract will come to an end in the summer.
The Scotland international, who joined the club in January 2016, will leave the Jambos after making 162 appearances across all competitions where he managed to score six goals and provided five assists in the process.
In other Rangers news, to add to their misery supporters were trolled by Ryanair online after the game.