The Rangers star has been touted an ideal man for Celtic by his former boss.
A Rangers star’s former manager has been told he would be a top tier Celtic player.
Swapping Hoops for the Light Blues and vice-versa is a path few would dare to walk but debate often eruprts over best XI’s. Ask a person with a Celtic state of mind and it will be full of Hoops heroes while over the other side of Glasgow, only Rangers players will feature for Ibrox eyes.
One Celtic diehard, however, has broken the mould and insisted that he thinks one Rangers player would slot right into the Celtic team under Brendan Rodgers. James Tavernier is coming up on 500 appearances in blue and Steve Evans reckons he’d be a top fit for the Irishman’s side.
Top technician
Evans had Tavernier on loan at Rotherham United from Newcastle United and having seen him first hand, he wonders what life would be like if the right-back had pulled on the Celtic shirt. The Millers boss told the Scottish Sun: “I signed James here as a young man, on loan initially from Newcastle. We were League One trying to get to the Championship. He’s a very lively boy, very confident.
He was just sensational for us here. It’s not a surprise to me he’s had the career he’s had…talented, technically, magnificent. He’d be good at Celtic, eh? I’ve told him that. Can you imagine him playing in that team? If you picked the best of the Celtic team and the best of the Rangers team, for me there’s only one player in the Rangers team who gets into the Celtic team…
Johnston’s terrific…but James Tavernier would be sensational in that Celtic team. He’s phenomenal, although defensively he can improve.”
Boss praise
Interim Rangers boss Barry Ferguson is full of praise for the captain who is set to hit the 500 mark against Motherwell on Saturday. He said: “First and foremost, it’s an unbelievable achievement.
He’s been through a lot in his Rangers career, but one thing I will say about James Tavernier is that he never hides. He always puts himself out there to play. I thought he was exceptional on Wednesday night vs Kilmarnock when I moved him from his natural right-back position into central defence and he became a real leader. That’s what I want from my captain.
We’ve had a few good chats and he’s an important player for me. He deserves a lot of credit for 500 games. It’s part of playing at Rangers. When you suffer defeats or don’t play well, it’s generally the captain who gets it in the neck. He’s big enough to handle those situations. I’ve been through it as well, and it’s not nice at times, but I’m afraid that’s the nature of the beast.
