RANGERS PLAYER PROFILES | Sporting Reality

Glasgow Rangers Player Profiles

Here you will find some of the player profiles of Rangers players who have got us back to where we belong.

Allan McGregor

Even though Allan McGregor is 38, he is still performing at a very high standard for the club he supports. Since his return to the club, he has consistently been one of our top performers. He loves a big match, and that is shown in the fact he has saved some of his very best performances for matches against Celtic or European ties. It is fair to say that, without McGregor's contributions, we would not have performed as well in key games against Celtic and in Europe. Jon McLaughlin has done well coming in and deserves his place in the Scotland squad, although McGregor is still first choice.

Steven Davis

Another older player in his second spell at the club, Steven Davis exudes professionalism. His passing is his main strength, although he has struggled a little at times with pace. I think it is fair to say, we would need to rely on some of the younger midfielders such as Kamara, Aribo and Jack to do the running for him, and try to free Davis up to be a main creator. He can also pass on his vast experiences to aid these players' development. Over the next season or so, I expect his game time to be reduced, but still expect him to have a big contribution in any future successes we may have. It might be that Davis doesn't play the European games as well as the league games. He has also performed brilliantly at international level.

Alfredo Morelos

Any impartial observer will readily admit the Colombian is a handful up front. Morelos is more than capable of occupying two defenders and enjoys roughing them up into the bargain. However, it would be unfair to suggest this was the only strength of Alfredo's. He has an excellent shot and has shown great mental resilience in the face of some blatant racism towards him by certain sections of the Scottish media. He is a young lad far away from home and some of the vitriol aimed towards him is shocking, yet he continues to defy these critics. I hope he can regain some of his top form and, although he has performed reasonably well, he has not hit his previous heights and Cedric Itten is now waiting in the wings and looking like a more than capable finisher. That said, some of Alfredo's hold-up play has been top-drawer and he has really added a new dimension to his game. This all-round ability has led to Alfredo having several call-ups to the Colombian National Team.

Ryan Kent

Straight after making his loan move permanent, Ryan hadn't quite hit the high notes which saw him nominated for both Player and Young Player of the Year. As he has become more settled and time has progressed, he has moved on from an exciting prospect to an excellent first team player, and has the greatest attribute of being able to run with the ball at pace. This has the ability to change the dynamics of any match. I think he had struggled with being the main man due to the £7 million price tag and one of his previous comments implied he thought Rangers did better in Europe because we were often the underdogs. He is a young man, but seems to have learned to deal with the weight of expectation of winning every single game he plays for us. As a younger player, he does still make mistakes, such as cutting inside too often and trying to do too much, but I have no doubt, if he continues to play further forward, he will get more goals and assists. This would make him a prime candidate to net us a healthy profit in the future. It is great to see him now playing with real confidence and that will surely only produce more good performances next season and hopefully in the Champions League group stages.

Jordan Jones

It has been a frustrating time for Jonesy One One as he is known in our family (from seeing him play at Kilmarnock). Blessed with exceptional pace, he is very similar to Ryan Kent in that he has that great ability to run at defenders and cause them problems. I think his sending off and injury against Celtic at the start of the last season made him a bit of a scapegoat in the eyes of the manager, and he has struggled to get back in the side since then. I really hope he is able to kick on and convince the manager he is deserving of an extended run in the team. He has struggled against teams who stick ten men behind the ball at Ibrox, but I believe he would considerably benefit from an extended run in the team, and ideally I would like us to play both him and Kent, especially away from home. Unfortunately, despite impressing away from the club on loan to Sunderland, I tihnk he will probably be deemed surplus to requirements.

Kai Kennedy

Kai Kennedy is one of the brightest of all our academy prospects (which includes Leon King, Josh McPake, and Nathan Patterson). Even though he is only 17 years old, he has already caught the eye of some of the major European clubs, such as Bayern Muncih and Manchester City. He really increased his profile when he was rightfully named player of the tournament at the prestigious Alkass Tournament. I really hope he doesn't go the way of fellow academy sensation Billy Gilmour and move on from us before establishing himself in the first team. There have been some concerns coming from the Academy about players thinking they have made it despite not being in the first team, and I hope Kai is not being badly advised. Talent is nothing without hard work, and the next year or two will be vital in seeing whether Kai can fulfil his undoubted potential.

Nathan Patterson

Nathan is another of our brightest prospects. Unlike some, Nathan appears to have impressed the management with his attitude and approach to learning his trade. He is a hard-worker and seems to love getting up and down the right flank. He looks as if he will be a regular first team player for many years to come. I do hope he both learns from our captain Tav, in particularly his ability to cross the ball and get up and down the park. The only negative might be that Tavernier's current outstanding form stops young Nathan from getting the game time he needs to develop. Still, it is great to see one of our coming through and time is on his side and we have high hopes for him. He has finished the season strongly and was rightfully called up to the Scottish National Squad. He should really be starting, despite his young age.