Rangers lured Connor Goldson to Ibrox last summer.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has told The Scottish Sun that defender Connor Goldson reminds him of Jamie Carragher – because of his determination to play.
The Gers made wholesale changes to their back line over the summer, bringing in two full backs and four centre backs to aid Gerrard’s cause.
The most expensive purchase was centre back Goldson, who arrived from Brighton and Hove Albion having struggled for Premier League playing time on the South Coast.
Goldson, 26, has played 39 games for Rangers this term, and only once in his career has he played more games in a campaign, with that coming at Shrewsbury Town in the 2014-15 season.
Goldson is Gerrard’s favourite centre back in the sense that he is always in the side when fit, leaving Joe Worrall, Nikola Katic or Gareth McAuley to fight for the other spot.
Howevver, Goldson only made his first appearance of 2019 against Aberdeen on February 6th, having picked up an injury against Celtic back in December which ruled him out for more than a month.
He’s back now, but he needs to be managed carefully, with Gerrard praising his warrior-like ability to battle through pain and put his body on the line for Rangers after his frustration on the Brighton sidelines.
After comparing Alfredo Morelos to Luis Suarez in November (Daily Record), Gerrard has added that Goldson reminds him of another of his ex-Liverpool teammates, comparing him to Jamie Carragher as he gets ‘confrontational’ if you try and rest him.
“Connor has been huge for us from day one,” said Gerrard. “When I first sat down with Connor I got a feeling that he was a winner and a leader. He wanted to play football. We have tried to manage Connor on different occasions, to pull him out and give him a breather. He won’t have it. He was frustrated with the big chunk of football that he missed because of the situation in his chest a few years ago. Being backup at Brighton he felt that he should have had more opportunities and that’s the reason he was desperate to go somewhere and play.”
“The club has been great for Connor, the stage, the supporters, the European run, but there’s no doubt we have benefitted from having him here because he has been an absolute rock for us. I can tell by his face, he reminds me in many ways of Jamie Carragher who would get confrontational when you tried to rest him. That’s the mentality we need at this football club, we need players who are desperate to put their bodies on the line. He certainly ticks that box,” he added.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
