Rangers starlet Leon King trusted by Giovanni van Bronckhorst – Scot Gemmill
Rangers defender Leon King made his Champions League debut on Wednesday evening and Scot Gemmill is delighted for him.
The 18-year-old was a substitute against Ajax as the Dutch champions ran out 4-0 winners but three of those goals came before the Scottish Under-21 international was introduced into the game.
King will be back with the Under-21 side for further internationals soon and Gemmill, a coach for the group, has been mightily impressed by what he’s seen from the Auchenhowie starlet.
“The big thing for me was it showed that the manager trusts Leon,” he said, as quoted by The Times. “At that level of football and at that importance of game, for the manager to trust him to play speaks so much about what they think about Leon.
“He was with us in the summer against Belgium and Denmark and even then you could see his maturity on and off the pitch.
“He only got the last 15 minutes or so in Denmark, but just the way he conducted himself, he seems to have that real mix of self-belief and confidence, but at the same time, he wants to learn and he is very coachable as well.”
Take advantage
Injuries are currently sidelining Ben Davies and John Souttar, the club’s two summer signings at centre-half, and James Sands is yet to prove that he can hold his own in the big games.
So with Connor Goldson in the mix to offer superb experience, Giovanni van Bronckhorst should be trusting King even more and playing him regularly while he has the chance to do so.
At just 18 years of age, he is already making his own claim to be the starting partner of stalwart Goldson but once Davies and Souttar return to full fitness, he might not get much of a look in.
A January loan would be ideal but while that isn’t an option for a few months yet, there is no reason to not give him a run of games with some easier domestic opposition on the horizon too.
He is an incredibly talented individual that needs to be tested on a regular basis whether it be with or without Rangers and this period could be decisive in his career.
In other Rangers news, Calvin Bassey was quick to react to the Champions League debacle as he endured a quiet night against his former teammates.