John Souttar’s level of fitness is being praised by Rangers boss Philippe Clement, demonstrating the progress the Scotland prospect has made under the Belgian.
Despite playing in just 12 Scottish Premiership games overall the previous season, the defender has started 11 of the team’s past 14 games in the top flight of Scotland.
Following the team’s victory over Hibs in the Scottish Cup, Philippe Clement highlighted the availability of multiple players, with John Souttar being particularly notable.
Philippe Clement commends the fitness of John Souttar.
When Philippe Clement joined the Rangers, he stated that it would require time for him to bolster an Ibrox team that is still severely injured.
However, Ibrox supporters have now seen firsthand how a player’s fitness is managed, something that the former AS Monaco manager hinted to earlier in the season with the arrival of John Souttar.
Not even six months ago would we have anticipated John Souttar to be on a roster of players that are consistently healthy.
“I believe it’s evident to all that there has been a significant shift between four months ago and now,” Clement remarked, taking a jab at former Rangers manager Michael Beale.
“We’re not where I want them to be, but I need the preparation—what they obviously missed—to get there.
“Because people continue to fall out, come back, and fall out again.” Thus, there aren’t many players on the team who are prepared for my demands.
“That’s a fiercely competitive team that shows up every three days. Thus, a few players—Connor Goldson, John Southar, John Lundstram, and James Tavernier, to name a few—are demonstrating that, and other players are also developing in that manner.
“I want the entire team to be prepared, but that requires more training, which I am unable to provide at this time due to our upcoming games.”
Does this Rangers defender plan to stay?
The fact that Philippe Clement regards John Souttar as one of the club’s mainstays, alongside James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, and John Lundstram, says volumes about the strides the Rangers player has made in his recuperation from injuries.
Rangers supporters sometimes questioned whether signing Souttar was a smart move given the former Hearts defender’s lengthy history of injuries dating back to his time at Dundee United.
But since the return of football after the winter break, John Souttar has been an ever-present for Rangers and is front and centre in the club’s treble charge.The likes of Ben Davies and Leon Balogun remain sidelined after injury, both back in the matchday squads but unable to shift Souttar from the club’s XI.It’s not just John Souttar who stands to benefit either.Could Connor Goldson – after six years chopping and changing with different centre-back options at Rangers – have finally found his defensive partner at Ibrox?
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