Fabio Cardoso has huge potential – but Rangers could have done with keeping Clint Hill around for his influence on and off the pitch.
While Bruno Alves has all the makings of a genuine cult hero at Ibrox, the jury is still out on central defensive partner and fellow Portuguese Fabio Cardoso.
Signing on a three-year deal from Vitoria Setubal this summer, the 23-year-old has had a mixed start to his career in royal blue.
Fast, strong and blessed with the ability to time a tackle to perfection, Cardoso has all the attributes to be a solid centre-half for Rangers over the coming months and years. At times, the former Portugal youth international has looked an inspired signing.
On others, however, his aerial ability has been found wanting and his adaptation to the testing environment of the Scottish Premiership has endured a few kinks.
Struggling badly against Hibernian’s Simon Murray as Neil Lennon’s side ground out a 3-2 win at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, it might take time for Cardoso’s class to transform into consistency.
Therefore, you wonder if Rangers made a mistake letting Clint Hill leave to make way for the Portuguese. The veteran centre-back may be 38 years of age but he was arguably Rangers’ most consistent player in a turbulent season last time around.
However, he was one of the first out of the door this summer, leaving when his contract expired. Yet, the former QPR captain’s experience and leadership ability could have helped Cardoso settle in a new league while also giving Pedro Caixinha the option of taking the latter out of the firing line if required.
Rangers are somewhat light of options at centre-half, meaning a lot rests on Cardoso overcoming one or two early jitters – though his vast potential means he could thrive sooner rather than later.
For now, however, the club’s decision to dispense with Hill, even for his dressing room influence, seems a strange one.
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