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Rangers: John Souttar would play in Premier League if not for injuries - Journalist
If it wasn’t for his injury troubles, Rangers defender John Souttar would be playing in the English Premier League, according to Joel Sked of the Scotsman.
He praised the performance of the Rangers centre-back in Sunday’s convincing 3-1 win over Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday afternoon, claiming that his impact overshadowed his teammates on the day.
Souttar turned in a very commanding display at the heart of the defence for Michael Beale’s side, as he stepped up in the absence of Connor Goldson for the penultimate away fixture of the season.
In his article, Sked raved about the former Hearts man as well as touching on the fulsome credit Beale afforded toward his player.
“Imagine John Souttar without injuries?” he said.
“He’d be in the Premier League and have many, many more than his six national team caps.
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“His performance far overshadowed anything Hibs did in what was a flat afternoon, on the pitch and in the stands, lacking the necessary ambition, energy, and chutzpah despite Paul Hanlon’s late consolation.
“Souttar overshadowed Ianis Hagi who scored his first goal in 16th months following a nightmare spell on the sidelines. And he even managed to overshadow James Tavernier on a landmark day at the ground where it all started.”
Room for improvement
The best thing that can be said about Souttar is that Goldson wasn’t missed, yesterday.
Yes, Hibs were disappointing with their striker Kevin Nisbet starved of service but of everything that was asked of the Rangers man, he provided an emphatic response.
Aggression, anticipation, leadership, ball carrying, long passes, and more. The display from the 26-year-old provided an exciting look at what could be a regular feature next season, as long as he can prove his fitness and stay free of injury.
He can have his best years at Ibrox, as well as improving on his standing within the Scotland setup, as he has all the required attributes to succeed but there is further room for improvement in his game.
Beale will put faith in him in the coming months so the challenge for Souttar is to prove he has what it takes to make the grade for Rangers.
In other Rangers news, one pundit has slammed Alfredo Morelos for being “miles off it” this season and urged Everton to avoid signing the striker in the summer transfer window.