Rangers: Beale must unleash Lundstram
The January transfer window is done and dusted and all attention now turns towards Glasgow Rangers and their ambitions on the pitch for the remainder of the season.
Michael Beale’s side return to Premiership action tonight as they travel away from Ibrox to face Hearts in the hope of clawing back some of the nine-point deficit at the top of the table.
The Light Blues remain unbeaten under the English head coach and won their last outing in the division 2-0 as they beat St. Johnstone at Ibrox – thanks to goals from Glen Kamara and James Tavernier.
In spite of the win, it was far from a perfect performance by the Gers and one player who struggled in the match was central midfielder Ryan Jack.
The Scotland international was hooked at half-time after a disappointing first half, in which he was handed a yellow card that was reviewed for a potential red and lost 66.6% of his individual duels.
Should John Lundstram start?
Yes
No
Jack avoided a sending off but was unable to escape being substituted at the break and Rangers boss Beale must now unleash former Sheffield United enforcer John Lundstram in his place for this clash with Hearts.
The Englishman was brought on for the second half against St. Johnstone and has been one of the club’s top-performing stars in the Premiership so far this season.
Lundstram currently sits sixth in the Gers squad for average Sofascore ratings in the Scottish top-flight this term – averaging a score of 7.09 across 23 appearances.
The £22k-per-week gem, who ex-Rangers man Maurice Ross once hailed as the “cornerstone” of the team, has been a reliable performer in the middle of the park and is a player the manager knows is capable of putting in an excellent display in the Premiership – as shown by his average performance level.
Lundstram has scored five goals from midfield this season in the league but the warrior has not shrugged off his defensive responsibility as the 28-year-old has also made 2.3 tackles and interceptions per match, which shows that he is regularly winning possession back for his side.
The central midfielder, who former teammate Kane Hemmings described as “invaluable“, has also completed 90% of his attempted passes and made 0.7 key passes per outing. This shows that the gem rarely gifts the ball back to the opposition and is capable of the odd bit of creativity to help the side out in the final third.
Beale must now unleash the combative talent from the start against Hearts tonight, after Jack’s disappointing showing last time out, as Lundstram is a proven and quality performer at this level.