“You can’t rely on him alone” – Former Aston Villa defender slams Rangers players for isolating Dessers

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa full-back, Alan Hutton, has called out Rangers players for not creating chances for Nigerian forward, Cyriel Dessers, Soccernet.ng reports.

The former Cremonese striker scored a goal with the last kick of their UEFA Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv in Warsaw last week, but things turned out differently yesterday at Hampden Park in Ibrox.

Following the 1-1 draw away from home, Philippe Clement’s side had a slight advantage, playing the deciding match in front of 50,000 Rangers, but things went south for the record Scottish Champions in the 51st minute when Jefté Vital was given his marching orders, after an elbow on an opponent.

The Gers continued to push despite being a man down, but Dessers was unable to latch onto a clear-cut chance. The Nigerian cut a frustrated figure in the second half, even lashing out at the fans to cheer the team on.

Two late goals from Kyiv condemned Rangers to a place in the UEFA Europa League, seeing them miss out on a whopping €40m which they intended to use in bringing players before the end of the transfer window.

Hutton, on punditry duties with BBC Sportscene, made his concerns about Rangers attacking players public, as they left all the creative work to Dessers and Tavernier.

“The manager will be working hard, wanting more numbers from his creative players. [Vaclav] Cerny has just come in the building, the likes of [Tom] Lawrence and [Ross] McCausland, these guys will be wanting decent numbers. It’s not easy to bring in a goalscorer who is very creative as well. Lawrence has done well to stay fit and through pre-season. Does Dessers need help up top? Yes. You can’t rely on Dessers and Tavernier alone for numbers,” the former Scotland defender said in quotes revealed by Inside Futbol.

Dessers has scored twice in four games for Rangers this season, and is keen on breaking his record of 22 goals which he achieved last campaign.