David Bates made his debut for Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers in their goalless draw against Kilmarnock.
Rangers defender David Bates has told the club’s official website that Philippe Senderos has taken him under his wing this season, and disclosed what the Swiss told him ahead of his first-team debut on Wednesday night.
Bates, along with Myles Beerman, was a surprise inclusion in the Gers’ squad for their trip to Kilmarnock in midweek given that the current state of the race for second in the Scottish Premiership means that Pedro Caixinha’s men could not really afford to slip up at any stage.
And while they failed to win the game at Rugby Park, Bates and Beerman will take a tremendous amount of pride from the fact that they kept a clean sheet on the night.
And following the stalemate, the 20-year-old outlined just how influential Senderos has been after explaining how he found out that he was in the starting lineup.
“I found out yesterday [Tuesday] I was playing. He came over and spoke to me and I was a bit taken aback, but I was delighted. You never know for the weekend – the gaffer could give me the call so I just need to keep my head down in training,” he told the club’s official website.
Rangers’ Philippe Senderos
“Philippe has been a real help. He has taken me under his wing and he was telling me yesterday I deserved my chance as I had worked really hard.”
While events on the pitch would suggest that Senderos’ move to Ibrox has not been a successful one, he deserves a lot of praise for trying to help the youngsters, especially those trying to move above him in the pecking order.
And Bates will be hoping that he can build upon his debut and earn several more opportunities to prove himself to Caixinha in the coming weeks ahead of a crucial summer for the Gers.
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