Rangers boss reveals what he wants to bring in as injured Ibrox ace given Bayern Munich comparison
Ibrox boss knows experience is crucial to youthful team
Rangers head coach Danny Rohl admits he wants to add more experience in his squad following the loss of one of his key players.
The German boss takes his side to the Hungarian capital of Budapest to face Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday night, knowing that defeat will see the club exit the competition. He accepts that losing the likes of towering centre-back John Souttar to injury is affecting his squad.
The 29-year-old has missed the club’s last five games with a muscle injury he picked up on international duty with Scotland in November, and is not expected to return until later this month, while defensive teammate Derek Cornelius is also expected to be out until January at the earliest.
"I think John was one of the core of the team,” said Rohl. “He helped us. He has experience in this league. He knows what it means to play Tuesday, Wednesday night in Kilmarnock or something like this. I think this is also important to understand. Around this core, you can play with exciting young players. But it's good in some phases of the season that you have this stability in some positions.
"He knows what it means to play for Rangers and it's important we also have in the future some players that are a core of a group. They are leaders and they have experience. When I look a little bit back to my time in Munich, and you have a core like [David] Alaba, [Joshua] Kimmich, [Thomas] Muller, [Robert] Lewandowski and [Manuel] Neuer, then this is a core.”
The 36-year-old is yet to lead Rangers to a victory in Europe, but has guided them to a seven-game unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, which has lifted them to fourth place in the league. However, they still trail leaders Hearts by nine points heading into a hectic festive period.
While Dujon Sterling is on the verge of making his first team comeback from a long-term Achilles problem, injuries are beginning to bite for Rohl’s squad. While he insists he is not afraid to hand the responsibility to some of the club’s talented youngsters, with the likes of Mikey Moore, Jayden Meghoma, and Connor Barron all in line to play some part in Hungary, he believes they would benefit from having more experience around them, with the games coming thick and fast.
"I'm not a coach who just asks for experience,” he said. “If you take just Mikey Moore, this is an exciting young player, but around these young players it's good to have players who understand what it means. I'm very positive that we find this balance. And, with results and good performances, then we will grow as a group.
“January for me is about balance. You need, in some positions, a good group of leaders. I’ve heard a lot of good things from Dujon. I saw him in the training sessions and he's a special guy, I must say this. I think he is brave and he knows what it means. But it's also important that his body is ready. At the moment that’s a question mark. After such a long injury without a game, then you know the first games are going to be a little bit rusty.”
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