Kris Boyd reacts to ‘huge’ Rangers news he’s told on Sky Sports
Kris Boyd says the return of a key player for Rangers could be “huge” against Fenerbahce.
During an illustrious Light Blues career, Boyd made over 220 appearances for the Ibrox giants, scoring 126 goals in the process.
His prolific tendencies in the final third helped Rangers win two Scottish Cups, two Scottish League Cups and perhaps most memorably, two Premiership titles.
Boyd is a Gers legend, so whenever he shares his opinion on the side’s current affairs, the Ibrox faithful stand up and take notice.
Boyd says defender’s return could be ‘huge’ for Rangers
The Rangers backline has rightfully been subject to scrutiny and criticism in recent weeks, while the club sit second place and 16 points adrift of bitter Glasgow rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
An embarrassing 2-0 home defeat to St Mirren last month spelled the end of the road for former Light Blues boss Philippe Clement, who was sacked following the loss.
But even under the reign of interim boss Barry Ferguson, Rangers have still looked shaky at the back, as they had to come back from 2-0 down to defeat Kilmarnock 4-2 last Wednesday, before suffering yet another Ibrox defeat, this time at the hands of Motherwell on Saturday.
| Competition | Date | Opponent | Result |
| Scottish Cup | 09/02 | Queen’s Park | 0-1 L |
| Scottish Premiership | 22/02 | St Mirren | 0-2 L |
| Scottish Premiership | 01/03 | Motherwell | 1-2 L |
Things could be looking up for the Light Blues, though, as key defender John Souttar has returned to full training ahead of Thursday’s Europa League Round of 16 first leg visit to Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
Boyd responded to that development live on Sky Sports News [10.28 am, 5 March], saying: “John Souttar back available is huge.
“[(Dujon] Sterling’s back as well. So [Leon] Balogun and Souttar would be a huge upgrade on what Rangers have had.”
Souttar has not featured for Rangers since their 3-1 win at Hearts on 16 February, and his presence at the back has certainly been a miss for the Ibrox giants, who have conceded six goals in their last three games, losing two.
Souttar return for Rangers a major boost ahead of Europa League clash
Rangers supporters will share Boyd’s sentiment that Souttar’s return to training is ‘huge’ for their club as they prepare for Thursday’s trip to Fenerbahce.
The Europa League presents the Light Blues with their last remaining hope of clinching silverware, as Celtic’s 16-point lead at the top of the Premiership appears unassailable.
The Gers also suffered a gutting penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Celtic during last December’s Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park.
Most shockingly of all, though, Rangers found themselves on the wrong side of a historic cup upset, when they lost 1-0 to Scottish Championship outfit Queen’s Park last month.
Supporters would have been worried about the prospect of facing a free-scoring Fenerbahce side without the likes of Souttar and Balogun.
Not least due to the fact that James Tavernier was unable to step up to the plate as a makeshift centre-half during last Saturday’s defeat to Motherwell.