Glasgow Rangers have brought several young players to Ibrox this summer and Beale says the likes of Defoe have been fantastic in helping them settle in.
Glasgow Rangers coach Michael Beale has lauded the impact made by the likes of Jermain Defoe and other Ibrox senior players in terms of helping out the new arrivals in Steven Gerrard’s squad, as reported in Football Scotland.
Rangers have brought in a number of signings this summer as they bid to challenge for silverware, and several players – Jake Hastie, Jordan Jones, George Edmundson, Joe Aribo and loanee Sheyi Ojo – are under the age of 25.
Defoe, on loan at Ibrox from English Premier League club Bournemouth, has impressed for Rangers since his arrival in January 2019 and has very much picked up from where he left off with great form in pre-season.
Beale, however, has stressed that the 36-year-old’s impact at the Gers is more than just on the pitch, praising him and fellow veteran Steven Davis for helping integrate the new-boys, and noting how this balance is better than this time last year, hinting at potentially more success on the pitch too.
“I’ve got to say that some of the senior players, especially Jermain Defoe, with people like young Joe [Aribo] and Sheyi [Ojo], has been fantastic in terms of integrating them,” Beale told Rangers TV, quoted by Football Scotland.
“Steven Davis – real calming influence with their age. So I think we’ve got that lovely balance now, where you’ve got the older ones and then you’ve got these young, vibrant, energetic players. It looks like a very, very nice balance and much stronger than the balance we had last year.”
Results-wise, Rangers have done well so far in a season which began competitively in July, successfully navigating two Europa League qualifying rounds and winning 2-1 at Kilmarnock in their Scottish Premiership opener.
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