With their 2-1 win against Hamilton Academical on Friday night, Rangers have won three games in a row now. They are slowly holding their grips on the second position. Well, Celtic are truly untouchable with the kind of form they are in but Rangers are finally being able to find their feet back in the top tier. A second-place finish in their comeback campaign in the Premiership after four years is not all bad, is it?
Rangers’ comeback campaign in the Premiership could have been much better if not for the crisis the Gers had to deal in the middle of the park. Joey Barton did what he does best and Rangers had to part ways with him after just eight games in a Rangers shirt. Another marquee signing Niko Kranjcar had just started to show his true calibre and got ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
Young guns like Jordan Rossiter, Matt Crooks and Josh Windass all have struggled to stay fit at Ibrox which means that whatever Rangers have done so far, they will be grateful to Holt and Halliday. But, it is quite clear that Rangers would do much better with an experienced and creative midfielder on board and their target Ruben Micael could very well do the job.
For those who are unaware of the quality of the Portuguese international, he has won every trophy in Portuguese football with FC Porto and has tasted Europa League success too. He used to be on the books of Atletico Madrid once and has represented Portugal 16 times including in Euro 2012 where he helped his side reach the semis.
The former Porto, Atletico Madrid and Braga player is now plying his trade in China for Super League side Shijiazhuang Ever Bright. But, with his side’s shock relegation from the top division, he is said to be on the move and it would be a great move from Rangers if they can bring the 30-year-old at Ibrox.
The experienced midfielder will fit in Warburton’s plan perfectly. It is a public knowledge that the English manager likes to use a 4-3-3 formation and that is why Kranjcar was finding it hard to make an impact. But, Micael is more of a dynamic player who can play equally well as a number ten or a number eight.
With his industry and creativity, he would do really well in Rangers’ 3-man midfield. On top of that, his experience will prove to be a solid addition. Warburton has to make this deal go through at any cost!
