Senior Rangers man John Lundstram could be in danger of a brutal sale by Philippe Clement in January after his dire performance against Sparta Prague on Thursday.
The Gers strengthened their hopes of progressing to the Europa League knockout stages as they survived a nervy finish to beat Sparta Prague at Ibrox (9 November).
First-half strikes from Danilo and Todd Cantwell gave the hosts a deserved 2-0 lead at half-time, before Lukas Haraslin’s goal after the break halved the deficit.
Clement’s side now sit second in Group C, two points behind La Liga outfit Real Betis and three clear of Sparta.
It’s now five wins and one draw from Clement’s six games in charge and the Belgian will certainly be running the rule over his squad in the coming weeks ahead of what could be a crucial January transfer window – one which could shape his tenure at Ibrox, especially if they’re to taste any success this season.
One area of his squad in real area of need of addressing is in midfield for which the Belgian will be demanding some fresh legs to fully get his high-intensity philosophy across at Ibrox but that could well damage the future of some of his experienced heads.
And one unfortunate victim could be Lundstram.
The former Sheffield United midfielder’s contract at Ibrox runs to a close in June 2024 [Transfermarkt] with no talks planned regarding an extension which means he is certainly playing for his long-term future at the club right now.
After some particularly pleasing performances in recent weeks from the 29-year-old, his display at Ibrox on Thursday certainly showcased a player who could well be on his last legs under Clement.
As per SofaScore, the Englishman picked up the fourth-worst average rating of any player to take to the pitch at 6.4/10.
In a position which is crucial and instrumental to Clement’s style or any others for that matter, Lundstram was nowhere to be seen all game, rarely touching the ball in his 90 minutes on the pitch with just 33 touches all game.
He successfully completed just 72% of his passes, won just one of his ground duels, lost 100% of his aerial duels and his dribbles, failed to register a single key pass or a single contribution to the Rangers attack, losing possession nine times whilst also completing just 20% of his crosses.
When you’re as experienced and as mature as Lundstram is in comparison to his teammates at Ibrox, there will certainly be high expectations, especially in high-octane games but the 29-year-old simply failed to deliver, despite Thursday’s win.
rangers
Rangers will unlikely want to make the same mistakes they did last summer being forced to see marketable players leave Ibrox for free next summer, and given there are no talks regarding Lundstram’s future at the club.
Leave a Reply