Graham Dorrans insists his old Rangers pal James Tavernier IS a real leader and has backed the under fire Ibrox captain to come through his sticky spell.
The right back has found himself in and out of Philippe Clement’s side in recent weeks and was hooked with half an hour remaining in the 2-1 victory against Motherwell in the semi final of the Premier Sports Cup at Hampden. Tavernier was heavily linked with a move away from Rangers last summer, with clubs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey both expressing an interest. But Dorrans – who played alongside the Gers skipper between 2017 and 2019 – firmly believes Tavernier is the man for the job.
He said: “100 per cent, he is a leader. He is not someone who screams and shouts but he’s a winner. Knowing him personally, I know he’ll be disappointed with the way things are going at the minute but he is not one for shying away from things. He will puff his chest out and keep going.”
Boss Clement says Tavernier’s lack of minutes in recent weeks is down to squad rotation, with Dujon Sterling and Neraysho Kasanwirjo often preferred at right back. And Dorrans admits that the Belgian is well within his right to leave his captain out of the team. “That’s a question for the manager”, added.
“He makes the decisions and if he sees fit to make the changes that he wants, that’s what he does. But knowing James he will keep his head down and he’ll work 100 per cent the way he always does.”
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