‘Extra athleticism, extra profile, extra speed’: Rangers coach blown away by Ibrox youngster

Add as preferred source on Google

Glasgow Rangers coach Michael Beale has waxed lyrical about Ibrox newcomer Calvin Bassey and spoke of the qualities he can bring to Steven Gerrard’s side.

The Light Blues signed the 20-year-old – who can play at left-back and centre-back – in June, paying Leicester City £230,000 in compensation.

It proved quite a coup for Rangers as Bassey was not only valued at £3million but also on the radar of West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen, according to the Daily Record.

The versatile defender is yet to make a competitive appearance in professional football, but it didn’t take long for him to get off the mark for Gerrard’s side in pre-season.

Rangers fell behind in their bounce game against Hamilton on Friday, but Bassey got them back on level terms, before a second-half penalty from Alfredo Morelos sealed a 2-1 win.

Speaking about Bassey on Rangers TV, Beale said: “Calvin can bring a lot. He’s a young man and we don’t want to throw too much expectation in too soon.

“He’s a left-footer, very athletic and can play as centre-half or full-back.

“He’s happy going up and in as a full-back and he’s happy going high and wide as well so he gives us a lot of versatility in an area we have needed to strengthen over the last two years.

“Our full-backs gave us 35 or 36 assists last season so it’s important we have people behind the main players pushing and Calvin is more than capable of playing.

“From what I have seen so far in pre-season he gives us extra athleticism, he gives us extra profile on the pitch, extra speed.

“So there is a lot to look forward to without putting a young boy under too much pressure too soon. In terms of being an asset to the club, I think he will go on to be a very very good one.”

TBR View:

While Bassey may have seemed like a somewhat unknown quantity, Rangers fans should be excited about him.

Along with Beale speaking so highly of him, Gerrard has also praised him, and of course you then had the big price tag Leicester had on him and reported interest from the club which has given the world Kai Havertz.

With Rangers losing the services of Andy Halliday and Jon Flanagan, Gerrard needed to bring in a new deputy for Borna Barisic, and so there’s a very good chance Bassey will feature in competitive matchday squads.