Neraysho Kasanwirjo reveals what James Tavernier told him before Rangers v St Mirren
Neraysho Kasanwirjo has lifted the lid on what James Tavernier told him before starting for Rangers against St Mirren on Sunday 27 October.
Kasanwirjo played the full 90 minutes as the Light Blues earned a 2-1 victory over St Mirren at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership.
This was the first time since 14 May 2022 that Tavernier did not start a league game for the Gers and the 22-year-old was under pressure to perform.
Kasanwirjo, though, revealed that Tavernier, who he also labelled the “father” of the team, instilled confidence in him in a pre-match conversation.
“He came before the game to me and said to just enjoy the game and show the quality you can play”, Kasanwirjo was quoted in the print edition of the Daily Record (29 October, page 51).
“He said to me, ‘Don’t look at it like I replaced James Tavernier, just play for the team.’
“And he said, ‘Just enjoy it’. So yeah, I think those words help me a lot. Everybody speaks with me, speaks with other guys.
“Tav is the father of the team. So it’s good for the young boys to have somebody like this.”
How did Nana Kasanwirjo fare in place of James Tavernier?
Kasanwirjo showed a lot of promise against St Mirren but also struggled to make an impact in attack, with the Dutchman lacking the chemistry with Vaclay Cerny that Tavernier has.
He also had an opportunity to display his versatility when Philippe Clement moved him to centre-back after the captain replaced Robin Propper after the one-hour mark.
The Feyenoord loanee appeared uncomfortable in the middle and almost gave away a penalty afterwards.
According to FotMob, he completed 61 of his 71 passes, including 12 into the final third, with 86 per cent accuracy.
Kasanwirjo also won three of his four ground duels, as well as one of his four aerial duels while recovering the ball seven times.
There are calls for Clement to start Kasanwirjo against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Wednesday (30 October).
However, Tavernier could return to his place at right-back after starting off the bench against St Mirren. It remains to be seen if Clement will be tempted to play the loan player at centre-back in place of Propper.
In other Rangers news, this player could make a quick-fire Ibrox exit in January after struggling this season.
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