'Igamane will be a HUGE asset' Rangers state of address in full as boss savours Raskin vs Barron battle
He wouldn’t have been the first name on Philippe Clement’s list of targets for his summer rebuild.
In fact, whether it was even the Rangers manager’s sole decision to pursue a young Scot from Aberdeen is up for debate. But if the Belgian didn’t know much about Connor Barron before he checked in at Auchenhowie, he certainly does now. There was no fanfare around the 22-year-old’s arrival at Ibrox in the transfer window. Signed on a Bosman – with a fee still to be set by an SPFL tribunal – Scotland Under-21 star Barron was arguably the most unglamorous outfield acquisition. But the midfielder has made an impression on his manager.
And right now, when fans are calling for proper leaders off the back of a disastrous Old Firm defeat to Celtic, Clement says Barron is one who’s ready to stand up and be counted. No Rangers player got pass marks in that dismal 3-0 derby defeat at Parkhead a fortnight ago. But while other players appeared to go into their shell, Barron never hid.
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And with Clement needing big characters and personalities in his dressing-room, the former Dons kid has come to the fore. The Ibrox gaffer has given Barron permission to become one of the squad’s key figures going forward. Clement said: “We need to rebuild leadership within the group here. That’s about players taking responsibility both on the pitch and off it. And then spreading the right message during games, training sessions, everything.
“It’s interesting for me to see those steps on the road. And I see a lot of positive things in Connor. From the first moment he stepped into the building he’s been somebody who wants to take that responsibility. And he also wants to show his quality every day and in every game. Connor has the mandate from me to go and be demanding towards the rest of the players in that way. So he’ll grow in this role.
“That was something that was big at Rangers for two or three seasons. A leadership group, led obviously by the captain and the manager. So there’s an opportunity now for younger players. Because it’s not just about age. Of course, if you’re older you’re more settled. You have more experience of all the circumstances in football – the good moments or bad situations on the pitch. So that does help. You also have more stature towards the rest of the group. If you’ve played here for six or seven years and have 300 or 400 games, people may listen faster to you. But the most important thing is what you show on the pitch. If you show quality there then people will listen to you.
“And it’s better if it doesn’t just come from one person but many of them.” Another one of those youngsters who must show up for Rangers is Belgian midfielder Nico Raskin. When a countryman in Clement arrived as manager, many felt the 22-year-old would develop into a pivotal player at Ibrox. But for a variety of reasons it hasn’t happened for Raskin under his fellow Belgian yet. He’s now back fully fit after injury problems and Clement expects him to make a significant contribution in the coming months.
Ahead of today’s trip to Tannadice to face Dundee United, the manager said: “I hope Nico can have a really big season for us. He has a lot of quality but also has a lot of competition now with players like Connor around.
“So it will be interesting to watch the two of them. We have a lot of games and it’s going to be that way until the end of January. For four-and-a-half months we will play every three days. With the international games as well, it’s something that has never happened before in football. We have so many games and no winter break. So we will need all of these players to be at their best to perform in all four competitions we’re in. Is Nico currently at his top level to do what I believe he can do?
“He’s not at his best yet because he has just come back from injury. But he’s getting better and will grow at this level again.”
It feels like Clement is waiting on a clutch of young players to ignite Rangers’ season. With the level of turnover at Ibrox in the summer it was always going to take time. That has certainly been the case with rookie Moroccan forward Hamza Igamane . He was signed for a reported fee of around £1million.
Initially, he was injured and Clement appealed for patience but he’s now fit and came off the bench for his Rangers debut at Parkhead two weeks ago. He’s in contention today to face Premiership new boys Dundee United and Clement says Igamane is ready to show what he can do.
When asked if he feels he can excite supporters, the Gers boss said: “Yes, he can bring a lot. He can be good in possession but he also has got a nose for scoring goals. He has shown a lot of good things in the last few weeks – if he hadn’t he wouldn’t have gotten his chance. It’s now about getting up to a good level physically.
“I’m very confident that he’s going to be a huge asset for us this season and for years to come.”