Rangers: Michael Stewart blasts ‘extremely poor’ John Lundstram for what he did vs Hearts
John Lundstram was “extremely poor” as he gave away possession and invited a Hearts threat onto Rangers in the first half, according to Michael Stewart.
The pundit reacted live on the Premier Sports coverage of the cup semi-final at Hampden on 21 April after the Gers midfielder aimed a sloppy pass in the direction of Mohamed Diomande which was easily intercepted by Alan Forrest midway through the first half.
The Hearts attacker drove forward past the exit-linked Ibrox man and fired a near-post shot that was diverted away by Jack Butland, with Stewart directing the finger of blame at Lundstram.
He said (3.26pm): “First of all you’ve got to say it’s extremely poor from John Lundstram, and then good positive play from Forrest, he attacks them, gets in behind, and it’s not a bad save from Jack Butland there. He’s got his angles well-covered.”
Rangers midfielder criticised for sloppy play
Philippe Clement made a number of changes for the key cup tie, with the likes of Connor Goldson and Fabio Silva dropped from the line-up, while Lundstram was arguably fortunate to keep his place.
He wasn’t dreadful on the day but the first-half pass which threatened to throw away the perfect start which Cyriel Dessers’ fifth-minute opener delivered was symptomatic of the midfielder’s recent struggles.
If Ridvan Yilmaz was fit then Lundstram may have dropped to the bench in favour of a midfield duo formed by Dujon Sterling and the returning Mohamed Diomande, who was excellent.
The former Sheffield United player’s future remains up in the air despite his manager’s hopes of a new deal, with Trabzonspor trying to snap him up on a free transfer.
Clement clearly wants the 30-year-old to remain at Ibrox but unless his form his clearly lifted in the final weeks of the season it may be hard for the Rangers hierarchy to justify committing to the terms he wants.
In other Rangers news, a “key” Gers star has told Chris Jack whether he wants to leave Ibrox this summer.
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