James Tavernier has told Wednesday’s Rangers press conference – as per the club’s Twitter – that the Ibrox club have an “exceptional talent” in the form of Malik Tillman, who remains on loan in Glasgow from German giants Bayern Munich.
Tillman, 20, has made a decent start to life at Rangers since joining the club on loan from Bayern. While not wholly consistent, the USA international has had a hand in seven goals for Rangers in his 23 appearances for the club.
Able to play out wide, as a 10 or even up front, Tillman gives new manager Michael Beale plenty of options in the final third. He is likely to feature on Thursday when the Gers go up against Hibernian at Ibrox, Beale’s first game as boss.
Asked about Tillman, who could join Rangers permanently at the end of his loan, Tavernier was very complimentary of the youngster. He thinks the four-time USA star is capable of “special moments” and expects big things from him.
“Tillman is still a young lad and he is an exceptional talent. I have full belief in him and he just needs to continue working hard and I am sure we will see some special moments from him,” Tavernier said, as per Rangers Twitter.
Tavernier: Rangers have an exceptional talent in Tillman
Beale is tasked with getting the best out of this talented, yet injury-plagued Rangers side. That starts on Thursday, but the confidence will be immediately high after Beale watched his men beat a near full-strength Bayer Leverkusen.
The manager hinted in his press conference that he could play with two strikers at times. But that Rangers will play in a similar way to Steven Gerrard’s era – which he was a part of. Where does Tillman fit in under Beale?
The USA star’s versatility means he can play in any number of positions. Beale is unlikely to use a no.10 like Gio van Bronckhorst did – but Tillman has the physicality to play as an eight, in a 4-3-3 system. We will learn more on Thursday.
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