Rangers urged to look to 'massive transfer fee' with Nathan Patterson's 'incredible situation'

Former Celtic and Scotland star Kris Commons has advised Rangers to look long-term with Nathan Patterson and his current situation.

Nathan Patterson has started just once for Rangers this season. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

The 20-year-old has appeared in both games since Giovanni van Bronckhorst took over from Steven Gerrard as the Ibrox boss.

However, he has started just once in the league with James Tavernier ahead of him.

The club captain hasn’t reached his top form but has still made key contributions, including the assist for the opening goal in the 3-1 win over Livingston on Sunday.

"It's an incredible situation where a player has actually established themselves with their national team before they've cemented their place at club level,” Commons wrote in his Daily Mail column.

"Steven Gerrard branded Everton's £5million bid for Patterson as a 'joke' in the summer. Yet, when it came to the crunch, he hardly played him.

"That comment never really tallied with how he actually used the player. Actions speak louder than words with these things.”

Commons has used Kieran Tierney’s rise at Celtic as a comparison.

The Scotland star broke was given a chance and usurped Emilio Izaguirre as the club's left-back and the rest is history with him going on to command a huge transfer fee when he joined Arsenal.

Commons reckons it is time for Rangers to put their trust in Patterson with a look to the future and a potential “massive transfer fee”.

‘You can’t hold talent back’

"Just like Tierney, there's no doubt he will eventually go on to secure a lucrative move elsewhere because he's got the talent to pretty much go anywhere he wants,” he said.

"Here's the thing. Patterson is now 20 years old. By the time Tierney was the same age, he had played almost 80 first team games for Celtic and had won a Treble.

"But Patterson has made just over 20 first-team appearances for Rangers. That's nowhere near enough for a player of his age and ability.

"Just as Tierney displaced Izaguirre, I fully believe Patterson is now ready to do the same with Tavernier. Ultimately, you can't hold back talent. Eventually, there has to come a point when that talent is given a platform to flourish.

"He's simply too good to spend the rest of the season – possibly longer – in the shadow of Tavernier, twiddling his thumbs on the bench.

"I understand that Tavernier is captain and it might be a difficult conversation for Van Bronckhorst to explain to him that he's going to be eased aside. But Rangers have to take a long-term view on this. These are two players who are at completely opposite ends of their careers.

"Patterson is young, has the world at his feet, and has the potential to land Rangers a massive transfer fee in a few years, as Tierney did with Celtic.

"Tavernier, on the other hand, is 30 years old. His value is limited. And there is also the fact that I believe Patterson to quite simply be the better player of the two. It will be intriguing to see how Van Bronckhorst handles this situation."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.