Jim Duffy defends Dan Neil after Rangers mistake vs Dundee; he's been 'exceptional'

Jim Duffy has defended Dan Neil after he made a mistake in Rangers' draw against Dundee on Saturday.

The Bears drew 2-2 at Dens Park, dropping points in the overall Scottish Premiership title race.

The Gers fought to come back from behind with goals from Badredine Bouanani and Nicolas Raskin, before giving away the lead later on.

Neil was facing his own goal on the edge of Rangers' box and was dispossessed, which allowed Dundee's Callum Jones to fire home unchallenged.

The midfielder has come under criticism following his mistake, but it's not the first time that he's been thrown under the bus since arriving at Ibrox in the summer.

Neil remains a key player for Derek McInnes, and Duffy appears to have given the Rangers man the benefit of the doubt.

Jim Duffy defends 'exceptional' Dan Neil as Rangers claim made

Neil chose Rangers ahead of a host of other UK clubs in the summer after his contract with Sunderland expired.

The 24-year-old captained the Black Cats to the Premier League and always looked like a good signing on paper.

He, along with several other teammates, suffered in the early stages of McInnes' tenure at Ibrox, but turned it around with great team and individual performances.

Now, there will be hope that Neil doesn't fall back into a rut after his mistake at Dens Park.

While speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, former Scottish Premiership manager Duffy jumped to the defence of Neil after his error.

He said: "I do think Neil has been very good, and you have to look at it over a concerted period of time. He got a bit of stick when he first came in, but those two goals against Celtic and his overall play.

"I think he's been exceptional these past couple of months, but not to say that you're not allowed a mistake; it will happen occasionally. Overall, Neil's been an excellent signing for Rangers."

Why Rangers can't afford to drop Neil

As Duffy mentioned, Neil's brace against Celtic won't be forgotten in a hurry, as McInnes will certainly remember what he saw at Ibrox that day.

He is an important cog in the Bears' midfield, and even though there are plenty of other players competing to start over him, he should not be dropped.

The Gers have the likes of Tochi Chukwuani, Vanja Dragojevic and Cammy Devlin, but Neil has performed better than those three, who have all been given chances.

That said, it is a long season, and others will get a chance over Neil at some point, with better rotation needed within games.

They will have to make a statement when given their opportunity.