Why Dujon Sterling used to 'really annoy' Barry Ferguson at Rangers

Dujon Sterling has been earning plenty of plaudits at Rangers this season.

The full-back has been in top form under Derek McInnes in the early stages of the Scottish Premiership campaign.

Sterling has benefitted from playing regularly at right-back, having previously had to fill in at centre-midfielder and left-back as well.

The 26-year-old was particularly impressive as Rangers defeated Celtic 1-0 in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday to cut the gap to two points.

That followed on from the comprehensive 3-0 beating of their fierce rivals in the Scottish League Cup the week prior.

Barry Ferguson knows Sterling well from his time as Rangers interim manager, and spoke highly of his talents even if something he did used to "really annoy" him.

Why did Dujon Sterling annoy Barry Ferguson at Rangers?

Sterling is now in his fourth season at Ibrox, and has made an extremely strong start to the current campaign.

Plenty of pundits and team-mates have been crediting Sterling, especially for his excellent display in the Old Firm last weekend.

Ferguson briefly managed Sterling when he stepped in as interim boss when Philippe Clement was sacked in February 2025.

The former Gers skipper talked up Sterling's quality, and was frustrated his time coaching him was blighted by injury.

However, he sometimes wanted to see the intensity he brings to games matched on the training pitch at Rangers.

Speaking on the 5 Stars podcast, Ferguson said: "I’ll give you one about Dujon. He used to really annoy me sometimes in training because he was just really laid back.

“I said to him, ‘listen, I need you fired up a wee bit’ and he was like, ‘I only get fired up for 90 minutes on matchday’.

“I looked at him and was like, ‘is that right?’ and I tell you, when he played, he was one of my best performers.

“He was just one of those guys. It’s not a bad attitude – he likes to work – but by god, when he gets up and running he’s (great).

“He’s got everything you would want in a defender. I had him fit for six games and he was a standout but then he ruptured his achillies against Athletic Bilbao, which was a sickener for him.

“I love everything about him. He’s quite quiet and shy, but as soon as he crosses that white line you want him with you in the trenches. I wouldn’t want to play against him.”

Dujon Sterling a sure fire starter at Rangers

When he is fit and firing, there is a hell of a player in Sterling.

Indeed, you will be hard pressed to find a better defender in one-on-one situations than you will the former Chelsea player.

McInnes signed Ross McCrorie and Kosta Nedeljkovic during the transfer window, with the former a utility player who can right-back and the latter a specialist there.

But right now, there appears little chance of Sterling surrendering that right-back berth, providing he stays fit.

And as long as he produces the goods on the pitch, quite frankly that is the only thing that matters.