In an interview to Football Insider, former Aston Villa man Alan Hutton has tipped out-of-contract Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday to be a wanted man in the summer. Hutton has suggested that a plethora of English clubs could be after his signature during the summer transfer window, given how the midfielder has the quality required to come in and immediately improve their squads.
The former Rangers defender has suggested that because of the COVID-19 situation, a talented player like Halliday available for free, could be too much to pass up on for a lot of English clubs.
Hutton said, “I think with everything that’s going on in football at the moment, the chance of picking up a free, if you like, into your squad and knowing the kind of character that he is and what he’s able to bring into the team, it would be an easy decision for myself. He knows the leagues down there well, so it’s not like he’s going into something that he doesn’t understand or hasn’t been there before. I think lots of clubs in England will be looking at him, knowing he can come in and improve their squads.”
What Is Halliday’s Legacy At The Ibrox Stadium?
The Scottish ace actually began his youth career with the Glasgow club, only to be moved to the Livingston academy back in the summer of 2006. After securing a switch to Middlesbrough in 2010, the midfielder was forced into a plethora of loan spells away from Boro, which included stints at Blackpool, Bradford and Walsall. It wasn’t until the summer of 2015 that Rangers decided to bring their boyhood midfielder back to the Ibrox.
In the two Premiership seasons immediately after his return to Glasgow, Halliday became a regular feature of the Rangers first-team, as he went on to make 35 and 32 appearances respectively. He was then surprisingly shipped out to Azerbaijani side FK Qabala on a year-long loan.
After a highly questionable spell, Halliday’s career never really retook an upward trend. While he did make a further 22 appearances in the league during the 18/19 campaign, the influence that the midfielder had within the side was clearly dwindling.
What Would Halliday Offer To Any Potential Suitors?
The 28-year-old’s two biggest assets at this point are undoubtedly his experience and versatility. Having spent time in more than three distinct football leagues, you can bet your bottom pound that Halliday has the odd, unexpected trick up his sleeve. Moreover, the Scot’s ability to play across a variety of positions is arguably what kept him at the Ibrox for so long.
Despite being a midfielder by position, Halliday has been used at left-back on multiple occasions this season. An excellent passer of the ball, Halliday boasts decent physical attributes that could also be well suited to combative nature of English football.
Rangers’ Andy Halliday Tipped To Succeed In England: Will Gerrard Regret Letting Him Leave?
Steven Gerrard’s side didn’t come very close to denying Celtic the title this season, but the same result next term could have dire effects on the sheer morale of the sides. Another title for the Hoops would mean ten back-to-back league triumphs in a row and given how they denied Rangers that prize all those years ago, Gerrard will be keen to create history next term. Halliday’s main purpose under the Liverpool legend has been as a back-up left-back, and with the Gers now aspiring for bigger things, Gerrard shouldn’t have any regrets in allowing Halliday to walk away at the end of the campaign.
