Connor Barron set for further Scotland heartbreak as Rangers target Milan Vitalis
Connor Barron looks set for even more heartbreak as Rangers are linked with Milan Vitalis.
The Gers midfielder was left out of Scotland’s squad for the World Cup, but hope appeared after Billy Gilmour was ruled out of the tournament.
However, Steve Clarke decided to call up Manchester United youngster Tyler Fletcher to replace the Napoli man.
Danny Rohl is now reported looking at a move for Vitalis, which could lead to further disappointment for the 23-year-old.
Barron has already struggled to force his way in at Rangers, and if the Hungarian is signed, it will only make his task harder.
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Why Rangers signing Vitalis would be disaster for Barron
Barron’s role would be reduced even further if Vitalis was signed by Rangers, if transfer talk around the Ibrox outfit turns out to be accurate.
That would spell trouble for his chances of changing Clarke’s mind for future squads or tournaments, as he surely needs to be starting regularly.
| Barron’s stats for Rangers | Scottish Premiership |
| Appearances | 27 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Pass accuracy | 89% |
| Tackles per game | 1.8 |
| Ball recoveries per game | 3.4 |
| Clearances per game | 1.1 |
| Ground duel success | 54% |
| Aerial duels success | 50% |
The Scottish star made 37 appearances for Rohl’s side last season, but only played a total of 1,935 minutes, which means he was not trusted to start very often.
How does Vitalis compare to Barron?
Given that he is already behind the likes of Nicolas Raskin, Tochi Chukwuani and Mohamed Diomande in the pecking order, the signing of Vitalis could be truly disastrous for Barron.
The ETO FC Gyor star is a leader, captaining the side to the league title this season, and he would surely slot right into the Gers midfield ahead of the Ibrox star.
He outshone Barron in several areas, most notably in terms of both interceptions and tackles made, per Sofascore data.
The Hungarian averaged 1.2 interceptions and two tackles per game, compared to 0.7 and 1.8 for the current Light Blues ace.
| Vitalis’ stats compared to Barron (League) | Vitalis | Barron |
| Interceptions per game | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| Tackles per game | 2 | 1.8 |
| Goals | 9 | 0 |
| Assists | 4 | 2 |
| Accurate long balls | 63.2% | 44.6% |
He also scored more goals (nine) and notched more assists (four) than Barron, who could only manage two assists in the Scottish Premiership.
The 24-year-old is more comfortable on the ball, completing 63.2 per cent of his long balls, as opposed to 44.6 per cent for the Scottish ace.
Vitalis looks like a natural upgrade on the former Aberdeen man and the ramifications for him, if the six-cap international is signed are worrying.
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