Glasgow Rangers defender Borna Barisic endured a disappointing first year at Ibrox.
Gregory Vignal has told the Daily Record that it is easy to forget how difficult it is for players to adapt to the demands of the Scottish Premiership as he suggested that the Rangers fans need to be patient with Borna Barisic.
Barisic made a promising start to life at Ibrox following his £2.2 million move last summer (via BBC Sport). But his form quickly dipped and he struggled to keep Andy Halliday and Jon Flanagan out of the team – neither player is, of course, a natural left-back.
There appear to be question marks lingering over what the future holds for Barisic. But former Gers full-back Vignal insisted that the Croatian can become a success with Steven Gerrard’s side if he is given time.
“It’s always difficult to find the right players and there aren’t so many left-footed players around,” he told the Record. “Borna will have benefited from a year at Rangers. It’s difficult when you move to a new country and have to adapt to a new style of football.
“You have to take that into consideration because everyone thinks Scottish football is easy but it’s not because it’s physical, strong football. You need to be fit, especially when you are playing Sunday-Thursday-Sunday with the Europa League so you have to be patient.”
The Record reports that Rangers are looking a new left-back this summer, so it remains to be seen what role Barisic ends up having if he sticks around next season.
Halliday rarely let the side down when used in that role, and Flanagan’s form in the latter weeks of this past season was impressive. Barisic arguably has the quality to make sure that he is well ahead of the pair in the pecking order. But a new signing would arguably send out a concerning statement regarding the confidence that Gerrard has in him.
However, Vignal clearly believes that Rangers may be surprised if they decide to keep faith in Barisic now that he has a full season under his belt.
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