Glasgow Rangers defender David Bates may perhaps have a role to play before he leaves Ibrox in the summer.
A number of Rangers fans have taken to Twitter to respond to David Bates after the defender commented on the fact that he is now back in training ahead of the final three games of the Scottish Premiership season.
Despite not playing since being stretchered off during the most recent Old Firm meeting at Ibrox back in March, it has been an incredibly turbulent time for the 21-year-old. He is now returning to a side no longer led by Graeme Murty – who left his role earlier in the week – and will not be around for much longer himself, with his summer switch to Hamburg being confirmed while he was sidelined.
It is a big blow for Rangers to lose Bates. He was not the finished article by any means, but he has arguably been the Gers’ best performing centre-back over the season and appeared to have the potential to be a real stalwart for the side having proved particularly impressive when given chances against Celtic.
Had Bates featured in the last two Old Firm games, the outcomes may not have been drastically different, but it is not too far-fetched to suggest that the scorelines would have been more respectable and the Light Blues would have been much more organised and difficult to break down.
But the youngster has seemingly handed Rangers a boost ahead of the final three games by returning to training. And ahead of this weekend’s clash with Kilmarnock, he sent out a simple message on social media…
Interestingly, the tweet has received a somewhat mixed response in terms of what subjects the fans wish to discuss. Despite the fact that Bates is leaving in the summer, he has received a lot of support, with many suggesting that they wished he was staying.
Meanwhile, there are also those who are delighted that he may be in contention to play some part in the final weeks of the season. The likes of Russell Martin and Bruno Alves have been extremely poor lately, so Bates’ return could provide the team with a lift as they look to try and finish second in the top flight.
Here is how some of the Rangers fans responded…
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