Michael Beale has confirmed he has no preferred choice for left back and is now completely torn between Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz. The Rangers manager, speaking at his pre-Dons presser, was discussing the depth at the back, and when asked on the status of the Croat and the Turk, had this to say:
“I thought the midfield functioned well the other night and it was nice to Ridvan [Yilmaz] come back into the team and get a goal. I did not really mention that after the game but it was a fantastic strike and his first for Rangers. He showed the differences he can bring to the team compared to Borna [Barisic]. Having said that I thought Borna’s pass for the third goal was a particularly good pass as well as so we seem to have some strength in that area at left-back. I keep telling everyone, at some point you need to give them an opportunity to show it. Dujon Sterling is a heck of a player who is competing with James Tavernier. In the full-back positions, I think we have strength now.”
But then asked on the situation at LB specifically he added:
“Yeah, I have a decision to make. They are both… Borna went away [international duty] with a niggle that has not really gone away and Ridvan is picking up on his fitness so it is one we are managing. We will probably continue to manage that up until the international break. We will have to be careful when we play either one.”
In other words, Michael Beale is undecided between both of them and has no first pick in that area, not helped by the fact that neither of them are definitively fit – Borna with his little niggle, Ridvan still not fully fit after a long layoff.
Obviously a situation where two internationals are competing for a jersey is an idea scenario for any Rangers manager, Borna a Croat regular and Ridvan with many caps for Turkey too – they’re both high quality players and it’s certainly a position Rangers have strength in depth in.
However, the other side is a different matter…
But that’s for another time.