OUR writer Derek Clark has been following Rangers at their pre-season training camp in Portugal.
Here he talked to manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst about summer signing Antonio Colak, who will be his first-choice goalkeeper as well as providing an update on Nnamdi Ofoborh.
How pleased are you to get Antonio Colak signed and what can the Rangers fans expect to see from him?
I am really happy that he is here. We were talking with him for weeks now and the transfer took a little bit longer than I expected but in the end, it was done. I have seen a lot of clips from him and of course, the fans will know him best from the game that he played with Malmo here. He is a very physical striker, he is good with the runs he makes, he can score goals and make assists and he gives a lot of energy to the team. That is what he has to bring as well for Rangers. I am really happy that he is part of our squad. We want to have a big squad, a quality squad with a lot of depth, so the competition needs to be there to get the best out of all of our players. Eventually, the best players will start.
In terms of the goalkeeper position with Allan McGregor staying on, how big a decision do you have in selecting your number one?
I mean a decision has to be made, not just for the goalkeeper position but also for the other positions in this team. Allan is at an age where he has the most experience in this team, he has been an important player and still is an important player to the squad. I am also very happy about Jon, you wouldn’t say he is becoming 34. He is doing well as well, he did really well in the cup competitions, and they are pushing each other as well to be the first goalkeeper this year. I am really happy about the competition but of course, finally, you have to make your decision.
Did you give Allan any promises as to who will be number one for him to decide to stay on?
No, I would never do that, I would never do that. I cannot guarantee any starting positions to any players. Of course, you have experienced players and young players. I think it is a process that is natural in any team sport and eventually, we are one team. We need the whole squad, as we have seen last year.
Can you give us an update on Nnamdi Ofoborh?
I haven’t welcomed him on the pitch and Steven [Gerrard] also didn’t. He is a player who had some problems and still has problems, and it is a situation we have to be very careful about to make sure we make the right decisions firstly for his health. The process is still going. I don’t know what will happen in the future but for me, the most important thing is his health.
Is he remaining upbeat?
We have seen him and he comes to the training ground once in a while. He is still one of the boys. If you see him, he is very good with the boys and also very energetic and happy and I feel really bad for him that he cannot be on the pitch. The most important thing is his health.
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