‘I think he has the physical ability to play there’- Gvb tips Nigerian youngster for a new role

The Dutchman has had a brilliant start to his managerial career at the Ibrox, with one of his Nigerian imports playing a key role 

New Rangers manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst has praised the performance of Nigerian youngster Calvin Bassey in his last two games.

Van Bronckhorst has started well at Rangers after replacing Steven Gerrard, winning his first two games against Sparta Prague and Livingston, respectively.

Bassey played in both games, and he never put a foot wrong. The 21-year-old even earned the praises of the Gers fans for his performance against Sparta.

Bassey’s performance is even more impressive, considering he played as a centre-back in both games instead of his natural left-back role.

And his display in the two games has earned him praises from Van Bronckhorst, who believes the youngster could make a name for himself as a centre-back.

“I’ve been really impressed. Calvin’s a really talented defender. Normally he plays in the left-back position but doesn’t have much experience in the centre back area,” The former Arsenal star said as per Daily Record ahead of the clash against Hibernian. 

“So I’m really happy with his performances so far.

“I think he has the physical ability to play there.”

Bassey is likely to continue in the role when the Scottish champions take on the Hibs due to Rangers injury problems, and Gvb is ready to provide him with all the help he may need.

“We will help him a lot in that position, when he has to pass, when he has to dribble, the positioning he has to take when the other defender has got the ball.”

“He’s a player who is very open to learning, and he gives a lot of energy to the team.”

“The last two games, I’m really happy with the way he played,” he concluded.

This post was last modified on December 1, 2021 7:59 am

Joba Ogunwale

Oluwajoba Ogunwale has many years of experience as a sports content writer. The most recent of these was at Opera News, after which he took up the role of Editor-in-Chief at Soccernet.

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