Derek Ferguson and James McFadden clash over Rangers ‘best player’ Todd Cantwell
Derek Ferguson and James McFadden have clashed over Todd Cantwell, with Ferguson believing that the Englishman remains the “best player” at Rangers.
Cantwell has struggled to impact games regularly since Philippe Clement arrived at Ibrox, with the Belgian preferring to utilise the 25-year-old from the right flank, rather than in his preferred number 10 role behind the centre-forward.
Despite seeming to struggle in his new role, especially against Aris Limassol where Cantwell was substituted in the first half, Ferguson still believes he is the Gers’ best player, while McFadden thinks Tom Lawrence is a better option for Clement.
Speaking on Open Goal (30 November) Ferguson said: “I still think he’s their best player, I honestly do. He needs to play centrally. Lawrence is good a player and I still think for me, Cantwell is our best player and I don’t think we’re playing him in the right position.
“Lawrence is a good player, of course he is. I think he’s [Cantwell] better when you let him have the rein a wee bit. Just let him float about a little bit, and get into wee positions. He needs to be more central.”
McFadden disagreed saying: “For me, he needs to play in the middle, but I think Lawrence is better than him in that position.”
Tough choice
Under the management of Michael Beale, supporters always had the feeling that Cantwell was one of the first names on the Rangers teamsheet, with nearly all of the Light Blues’ play coming through the Englishman typically as a number 10.
However, that hasn’t been the case under Clement and it is fairly clear that he doesn’t fancy the 25-year-old in that position and there has been little in his performances to suggest that he should be picked ahead of Lawrence this season.
Cantwell has a single assist in nine Scottish Premiership matches and has picked up only one goal in all competitions, his only strike coming against Sparta Prague in the Europa League, while Lawrence has two assists in only three starts.
Currently, Lawrence is the better option in that number 10 role and should start most weeks ahead of Cantwell until his form improves. However, one thing that is certain is both players should always be picked ahead of Sam Lammers as he continues to struggle.
In other Rangers news, Peter Grant has compared Lawrence’s impact on the squad to that of a new signing