Philippe Clement has told Dujon Sterling he needs to prove himself over the coming weeks.
The Rangers boss has revealed the versatile star has been struggling with a niggle and has suggested that may well be part of the reason he has failed to hit the heights of last season. The decisions of late behind not playing the former Chelsea man has sparked debate between pundits like Michael Stewart and Alan Hutton. And now Clement has challenged the defender to show him his worth once again over the coming period. He believes the struggles are starting to fade and he’s on the right track back.
The Belgian said: “Dujon [Sterling] needs to prove himself in the next weeks – he has been struggling with a bit of an injury and so he maybe didn’t hit the same level as last season – but he is coming back from that.”
Rangers have touched down in Greece as they face Olympiacos in the Europa League. The Light Blues are feeling the heat in the Scottish Premiership after falling nine points behind Celtic and Aberdeen at the top. But they got a confidence boosting result at Hampden to book a Premier Sports Cup final spot after coming from behind to defeat Motherwell.
Tom Lawrence was forced off at the national stadium and Clement has revealed he has been left at home and will spend some time out as he looks to get over his latest injury blow. But he’s told those waiting in the wings for a chance that now is the time to step up. In positive news both Ridvan Yilmaz and Rabbio Matondo are nearing returns with the duo back out on the grass.
He told the media: “Tom Lawrence hasn’t travelled, he got injured at the weekend and will be out for several weeks. He has been important for the team but it gives opportunities for other players to prove themselves.
“Injuries are always going to happen in football and we are trying to make positive changes to reduce as many as possible. Ridvan Yilmaz is back in training, and so is Rabbi Matondo, so this is getting better.”
On the game itself, he added: “We have enough experienced players in this squad to handle the atmosphere the opposition will present – European nights are special and they look forward to playing in stadiums like this. We know tomorrow is a big test but we are looking forward to that. We want to face every opponent to get points, and this is the mentality we want to see.”