One of the players who did well for Rangers last season was Malik Tillman, and his PSV teammate Ricardo Pepi has outlined what makes the former Ibrox loanee so special.
Ricardo Pepi has been raving about former Rangers loanee Malik Tillman, who is playing for PSV at the moment.
Tillman joined Dutch giants PSV from German powerhouse Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023.
The USA International attacking midfielder had a loan spell at Rangers last season. He made 22 starts and six substitute appearances in the Scottish Premiership, scoring 10 goals and giving four assists in the process.
Tillman made four starts and one substitute appearance in the UEFA Champions League for Rangers last season.
Praise for former Rangers loanee Malik Tillman
Pepi plays with Tillman at PSV and for the USA national football team, and the 21-year-old striker has raved about him.
According to Goal, Rangers had the option to sign the playmaker for £5 million in the summer of 2023, but Bayern Munich bought it off and did a deal with PSV instead.
Former Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst told RTL: “I watched a lot of videos of him before he came to us; a good player and a great talent. (Tillman) did a great job for us last year. He gave an assist against PSV and scored important goals against Union Saint-Gilloise (in the Champions League play-offs).
“He’s strong on the ball and also with his work ethic. He also reads the game and he has good dribbling ability. I do think Rangers wanted to buy him, but Bayern Munich bought off the option to buy that Rangers had. That’s why he is now at PSV.”
Pepi told The Athletic about Tillman: “I knew he was a good player before he came here. But just watching him on the pitch; some of the turns he makes and how aware he is of players around him, his technique, it’s great.
“He’s great in between the lines and can really give that final ball. Some of the moves he makes it’s like, ‘Woah, I didn’t see that coming’.”
My View: Rangers missed out on a gem in Malik Tillman
In my opinion, Malik Tillman would have been a very good signing for Rangers, especially for just £5 million (Goal).
According to Goal, Tillman could cost PSV up to £13 million in transfer fees. That shows how highly Tillman is rated in the footballing community. In December 2022, Rangers star James Tavernier described him as “an exceptional talent”.
True, it is unlikely that the USA international playmaker has a long-term future at Bayern, but that the German and European giants signed the youngster in the first place shows how much they value him.
Tillman, who is rated highly by Micah Richards, is playing in the Eredivisie and the UEFA Champions League now. I think that he is only going to get better. Let us not forget that the USA international is only 21 now.
The youngster has made eight starts and eight substitute appearances in the Eredivisie so far this season. He has scored five goals and given four assists in those games.
Tillman has also made three starts and three substitute appearances in the UEFA Champions League for PSV this campaign, providing one assist in the process.
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