By Daniel Lewis

18th Oct, 2023 | 3:10pm

Rangers boss Philippe Clement facing easy decision after what Leon King did on international duty

The arrival of Philippe Clement at Rangers offers a clean slate for the fringe players – Leon King among them – to stake a claim for more regular playing time.

King featured regularly for the Gers last season – no teenager played more minutes in the Champions League – but he has yet to play in the 2023-24 campaign.

Not helped by an injury sustained in pre-season, the 19-year-old has been made to wait for his chance to show he is good enough to start games for the Gers – let alone make substitute appearances.

However, King did not exactly do a great deal to convince Clement he should play a part against Hibernian next weekend with his display for Scotland Under-21s on Tuesday (17 October).

The Light Blues academy graduate played the full 90 minutes in holding midfield as Scotland snatched a late 2-1 win over their Malta counterparts at Fir Park.

King was given a rating of 6/10 in the Daily Record‘s print edition on Wednesday (18 October) in a largely underwhelming display from the home side.

The positive is that the youngster has got some valuable minutes under his belt during the international window, but it will surely not be enough to make Clement sit up and take notice.

Instead, King will find himself among the substitutes at best against Hibernian as he is made to stay patient in his aim of winning back a place in the side.

The January window may present an opportunity to go out on loan and play regularly elsewhere, but it could be a frustrating period for the defender between now and then.

In other Rangers news, pundit Andy Walker claims Clement is already facing a “tall order” following his recent appointment.