Rangers are back in action against Hearts today, meaning they could face off against Ibrox-bound defender John Souttar this afternoon.
The Gers are reeling after their dreadful performance in the 3-0 defeat to bitter rivals Celtic in midweek.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst needs a response today, and only a win will be acceptable against a tricky Hearts side.
Rangers face something of a strange situation, as they come up against future Gers defender Souttar at Ibrox.
With Souttar out of contract this summer, Rangers have already struck a pre-contract agreement to sign the defender for nothing.
Rangers did try and get Souttar signed up on the cheap in January, but the window closed with an agreement.
Van Bronckhorst may have wished Souttar was playing for Rangers against Celtic as his shaky defence was pulled apart at Parkhead.
Souttar has been struggling with injuries again, but only niggling blows – nothing like the three achilles tears he has suffered in recent times.
It’s unclear whether or not Souttar will be fit to play for Hearts today, but boss Robbie Neilson is giving him every chance of being involved.
Neilson has told The Scottish Sun that he has no qualms about throwing Souttar into the team today even if he is playing against his future club. Quite simply, if he is fit, he plays.
What’s interesting is that Neilson claims Souttar didn’t actually want to sign for Rangers on the cheap.
If Souttar was going to leave in January, he wanted Hearts to receive a fair free. Hearts told him how much they wanted, Souttar agreed, and Rangers never paid that fee.
That means Souttar is happy to see out his contract and then move to Rangers for nothing, with the Scot having the strange situation of being able to show Rangers what they’re missing… months before actually joining them.
“John Souttar was very strong with us, and didn’t want to go on the cheap. He wanted us to get what we deserved,” said Neilson. “We didn’t get that offer so we made the decision to keep him and he’s more than happy with that. Right from the start when we knew it was happening we spoke to John and said, ‘This is what we’re looking for’. He agreed, but the fee never came. If the money doesn’t get paid, the player doesn’t go.”
“I’ve spoken to John almost every day for the last month about where he is, how he’s feeling, how his injuries are, and about the situation. I spoke to him again this morning and everything’s good. He’s been great — he understands the situation. His main objective now is, first and foremost, to get us European football, and to stay in the Scotland set-up.”
“If he continues to play the way he has been, he’ll do that. He’s one of our best players and you want your best players to play. John knows the situation and he has dealt with it very well. If he is fit he plays. If he is not fit he won’t play. That’s it,” he added.
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