Sam Stone

Sun 11 December 2022 13:40, UK

Michael Beale has outlined his desire to sign Malik Tillman permanently from Bayern Munich after Rangers cruised to a 3-0 friendly victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

BILD journalist Christian Falk revealed (14 September) that Rangers have the option to buy the 20-year-old for £6million.

Talking after the midseason win at Ibrox, the new boss was full of praise for the American and made his intentions on his future very clear.

“It’s a pretty obvious one. I really like Malik,” said Beale (quoted by BBC Sport, 10 December).

“He is a fantastic talent. He wants to play slightly higher. We’re going to give him the freedom to run out of that midfield and get into the positions he was in today.

“You can see what he could grow into too. He’s the exact type of player that we want at this football club. I don’t know the exact fee, and I don’t know where we’re going to go and get it from, but if we can do it, I would definitely sign Malik Tillman, yes.”

Get it done

Tillman has been a frustrating watch this season, but there’s clearly a talented player in there somewhere, and at 20, he’s got the potential to go on to be a huge asset for the Gers in the coming years. It’s likely Beale will fancy the opportunity to work with the attacking midfielder and turn him into one of his star players.

Although it was only a friendly, it was good to get off to a winning start against a decent calibre of opposition. Rangers certainly looked more forceful going forward, and if they can replicate it in the league, good things could well be around the corner for the new boss.

All eyes now turn to the 15 December when the real test begins for Beale as his side resume their Scottish Premiership campaign against Hibernian.

A run of wins before the turn of the year will put Rangers in an excellent position to face Celtic when The Hoops travel to Ibrox on 2 January.

In other Rangers news, this prolific goalscorer is “excited” by speculation linking him with a move to Ibrox in January.