‘Russell Martin to hand lifeline to Souttar’ amid official Rangers announcement
Russell Martin is seemingly set to hand John Souttar a lifeline at Rangers.
The 28-year-old has been hotly tipped for a move away from the club this summer, with the new boss having already added two centre halves to his ranks.
Rangers have been facing interest in Souttar from Trabzonspor, with the Turkish side prepared to offer him a substantial upgrade to his current contract for him to turn his back on the Govan outfit.
The Gers were hugely disappointing last term, but the centre back was arguably one of the few players who could be proud of his performances across the majority of the campaign.
Souttar is in Rangers’ Champions League squad
Ridvan Yilmaz is another man who has been tipped to move elsewhere after Martin’s arrival, and his fate seems to be sealed following the confirmation of Rangers’ Champions League squad on Friday (18 July).
The Gers are set to face off against Panathinaikos in a two-leg qualifying clash, with the first leg taking place at Ibrox on 22 July.
However, while Yilmaz has been cut adrift from the squad, Souttar has been named as part of the group who will prepare to take on the Greek giants, which indicates that he could be about to receive a lifeline at Ibrox.
Martin and his coaching team had been left frustrated by Souttar’s decision to delay an operation, which had left him in doubt for their European tie.
But with the centre half now named as part of Rangers’ unit, it perhaps suggests that Martin could be prepared to hand the centre half a second opportunity.
Souttar could start against Panathinaikos
Rangers are still keen on adding to their options in the centre of defence, with Conor Coady’s arrival still seemingly a genuine possibility.
However, with the deal some way from completion at this stage, Souttar could even find himself starting at the heart of the backline in a few days.
| Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Premiership | 253 | 10 | 6 |
| Europa League | 14 | – | – |
| Championship | 4 | – | – |
The former Hearts man is by far the most experienced centre back in the squad, and Martin surely won’t be keen to throw either of Emmanuel Fernandez or Leon King in at the deep end in a crucial continental tie.
As a result, it will likely be Souttar who partners Nasser Djiga at the centre of the defence, for the first leg at least.
It is possible that the out-of-favour star could yet move elsewhere this summer, but for now at least, it appears that Souttar has been handed another chance by Martin.
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