Neil McCann has lavished praise on Rangers captain James Tavernier against Celtic this afternoon.
Both Scottish Premiership outfits squared off at Hampden Park for a Scottish Cup semi-final.
The game went to extra time after finishing 1-1 in regulation, with Greg Taylor’s opener on 64 minutes cancelled out by Scott Arfield in the final quarter.
Even in extra time, Tavernier, a £250,000 signing in 2015, continued to look a fresh and lively presence down Rangers’ right-hand side.
And McCann, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, was blown away by the 30-year-old’s energy levels, describing them as ‘absolutely out of this world’.
He said during the additional 30-minute period: “James Tavernier has defended really well, the fitness that the boy shows is absolutely out of this world.”
The game looked poised to be going to a penalty shootout, just like the semi-final of the same competition did back in 2015.
However, a Carl Starfelt own goal for Celtic handed Rangers the victory with five minutes of extra time remaining.
And again, it was the Gers’ fitness which you could argue made the difference.
That’s because Fashion Sakala’s role in forcing the own goal cannot be understated, with the light Blues attacking busting a gut to reach a Calvin Bassey ball.
Celtic will feel like they could and should’ve won, based on their chances in regulation, but credit to Rangers – and Tavernier – for never stopping.
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