Dujon Sterling targeting Micahel Essien and Yaya Toure in new Rangers admission
Dujon Sterling has admitted that he still wants to become a better midfielder at Rangers and has been learning from videos of Michael Essien and Yaya Toure.
The Englishman who arrived at Ibrox in the summer as a right-back has been deployed in the middle of the park by Philippe Clement in recent weeks, impressing in the win over Real Betis and producing a man of the match display in the Viaplay Cup final.
While the 24-year-old has looked a natural in his new position, Sterling has admitted that he’s had to do plenty of homework to settle in his new role having never previously played or trained as a midfielder during his career.
As quoted by the Daily Record (24 December) he said: “At home, I’ve started watching YouTube videos of midfielders to see what they do. I just want to learn, even though 10 games down the line I might not still be playing in the same position.
“I watch the likes of Essien and Yaya Toure – they are the main ones. Essien because he was at Chelsea when I was there. I used to go to games when I was younger and watch him all the time, even in training. And Toure was one of the best midfielders to play in the Premier League.
“When the manager chucked me in against Dundee it was the first time I’d ever played there. I hadn’t even trained for it, not once. But hopefully, I can continue to grow into a better midfielder.”
Few better
If Sterling is looking to become a better midfielder, there are few better examples for the 24-year-old to look to than Toure and Essien and should he become anywhere near the level of that pair he will be a force in the middle of the park for Rangers for years to come.
Clement doesn’t have many options to pick from at the moment thanks to the recent injury crisis at Ibrox, which has seen the likes of Nicolas Raskin, Ryan Jack and Jose Cifuentes all sidelined at various points of the campaign.
While that has made life difficult for the Belgian in the early stages of his tenure, his decision to play Sterling in the middle of the park has worked better than most would have anticipated. If he continues in this recent form, it will be hard for the injured trio to earn their places back.
Hopefully, Sterling can continue to impress out of position. It may not be as most supporters expected, but the Englishman is looking like an incredibly clever addition.
In other Rangers news, Kenny Miller has urged the Gers to make a move for the “terrific” Lawrence Shankland in January