Rangers defender Borna Barisic endured a difficult first season at Ibrox.
Croatia Under-21 boss Nenad Gracan has told The Herald that he thinks Borna Barisic will go on to become an important player for Rangers.
The Gers swooped to sign Barisic after he impressed against Steven Gerrard’s side with Osijek in the Europa League, luring him to Ibrox alongside teammate Eros Grezda.
Barisic came having already impressed Rangers fans, and also arrived having turned out for the Croatian national team, who reached the World Cup final last year.
However, Barisic hasn’t lived up to expectations. The 26-year-old has suffered niggling injuries and simply been dropped from Gerrard’s side, with fans questioning Barisic’s toughness.
In Rangers’ final game of the season saw Barisic give away a late penalty against Kilmarnock, and supporters took to Twitter to slate his performance.
Some fans may now feel that Barisic is done at Ibrox, but Croatia Under-21 boss Gracan has moved to praise the left back, feeling he still has huge potential.
Gracan acknowledged that Barisic had a ‘mixed season’, but predicted that he will go on to be an important player at Ibrox – even if Rangers fans don’t agree.
“Of course I rate Barišić highly – he’s a player for our men’s senior team, and I think he has a lot of potential,” said Gracan. “He’s had a mixed season, but I believe that’s mostly due to the fact that he’s also had some unlucky issues with injuries. I know he can be an important player for Rangers in the future,” he added.
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