John Souttar’s fitness praise hints that the Rangers may have finally solved a six-year riddle.
Rangers boss Philippe Clement praises John Souttar for his level of fitness, demonstrating how far the Scotland prospect has progressed under the Belgian.
John Souttar, 27, has faced injury troubles throughout his career and has struggled since joining Rangers in the summer of 2022.
Despite making only 12 Scottish Premiership appearances in total last season, the defender has started 11 of the club’s past 14 games in the Scottish top division.
After the Scottish Cup triumph against Hibs, Philippe Clement highlighted the availability of numerous players, including John Souttar.
Philippe Clement applauds John Souttar’s fitness
When Philippe Clement joined Rangers, he stated that it would take time to strengthen an injury-prone group.
John Souttar, an ex-AS Monaco manager, has given Ibrox supporters insight into managing a player’s fitness, as he mentioned earlier this season.
Six months ago, we would not have expected John Souttar to be one of the squad’s consistently fit players.
Clement criticized former Rangers manager Michael Beale, stating that there has been a significant shift between today and four months ago.
“We’re not where I want them to be, but I need the preparation, which they plainly lacked.
“Because people are still separating, reuniting, and splitting apart. So there are just a few guys on the roster that are prepared for what I want.
“That is a competitive squad that shows up every three days with that kind of effort. So a few players, such as Connor (Goldson), John (Souttar), (John) Lundstram, and (James) Tavernier, are demonstrating this, and there are a few more who are developing in this manner.
“I want the total squad to be ready but for that you need more training which I cannot do now for the moment because we have all these games.”
Is the Rangers defender here to stay?
Philippe Clement considers John Souttar to be on par with club legends such as James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, and John Lundstram, indicating his impressive return from injuries.
Rangers supporters questioned if signing Souttar, an ex-Hearts defender with a history of injuries dating back to Dundee United, was a prudent move.
However, since returning to football following the winter break, John Souttar has been a constant for Rangers and is at the heart of the club’s treble drive.
Although Ben Davies and Leon Balogun have returned to the matchday squads, they are unable to replace Souttar in the club’s starting lineup due to injuries.
Not only does John Souttar gain, but so do others.
Could Connor Goldson, after six years of switching between several centre-back choices at Rangers, have finally found his defensive partner at Ibrox?
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