The defender has only started 10 Scottish Premiership games since signing for Rangers but he’s made quite the impact.
Since Steven Whittaker jumped from the sinking Rangers ship in 2012 with demotion to the fourth tier looming, the right-back spot has become something of a problem position for the Ibrox club. Until Lee Hodson arrived from MK Dons last summer, that is.
James Tavernier made the right hand side of defence his own this season, even netting a remarkable 15 goals along the way, but his lack of positional nous has been brutally exposed in the top flight at times with even the most unassuming Rangers supporter admitting that the former Newcastle United youngster had gone from a major attacking threat to an accident waiting to happen.
Therefore, after Hodson was parachuted into the team to add an element of steel to a flimsy backline in December, he has been a virtual ever-present. A vital goal in a 2-1 win against second place rivals Aberdeen may be the abiding memory of his debut season in Rangers colours but that, in many ways, is testament to the Northern Ireland international.
Hodson is not a player that will grab the headlines with a soaring free-kick or a searing burst. Instead, he is a reliable, solid defender and, in truth, a right-back who can legitimately lay claim to be the club’s finest since home-grown hero Alan Hutton left for Tottenham for £8million almost a decade ago, as reported by the BBC.
As Northern Ireland coach Michael O’Neill said before Sunday’s Old Firm clash, Hodson ‘did a job’ on flying German winger Julian Draxler in Euro 2016. So he could certainly repeat the trick on Scott Sinclair, as reported by Herald Scotland.
And the fact that the in-form Englishman failed to produce a shot on goal over 90 minutes for the first time since that 7-0 humiliation at the Camp Nou says everything you need to know about Hodson’s efficiency.
He helped render an attack which had netted 74 times in 28 games almost anonymous in a Man of the Match performance. Hutton who?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
