Michael Stewart insists Rangers should look to cash in on captain James Tavernier instead of letting Borna Barisic go.
Croatian Barisic was in tears as Steven Gerrard's side defeated Celtic yesterday and some have suggested that may have been his last game for the Ibrox side.
Sportscene pundit Stewart reckons Barisic would be a huge loss for Rangers and he feels if cash is needed they should look to offload Tavernier instead.
Writing on the BBC Sport website, Stewart said: "After Rangers were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers, there was an acknowledgement from Steven Gerrard that some key players would need to be sold.
"And the scenes at full-time with Borna Barisic seem to suggest that may have been his last game for the club.
"For me, Barisic would not be the first on my list of players for Rangers to cash in on. If it was up to me, I'd let Tavernier go.
"The way Rangers play, Barisic is so crucial. Before he came into form, Rangers were so un-balanced with Tavernier the only one who was able to provide a threat out wide. The Croat's emergence transformed them.
"Calvin Bassey is not a bad cover option, but questions remain as to whether he can reach the levels of Barisic.
"If you sell Tavernier, you've got a ready-made replacement in Patterson just waiting to play. I believe the young Scot can at least match Tavernier's quality and eventually surpass him.
"Patterson has got years ahead of him and reports say Rangers have already received substantial offers for the youngster, which is testament to his quality at such a young age."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel