'He's a player I like': Barry Ferguson admits he would 'love' Rangers to make £6m transfer this summer
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Just to add to the problems facing Philippe Clement at Rangers, fatigue appears to be setting in at the Scottish Premiership giants.
That is to be expected, of course, given that Rangers were forced to contend with a gruelling festive schedule while handling a defensive injury crisis.
Full-backs Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz struggled at Dundee on Thursday night, the former starting 15 games since the start of November and the latter forced to fill in at right-back due to James Tavernier’s ongoing injury issues.
And while Vaclav Cerny rescued a point for Rangers with his equaliser at Dens Park, even the Czech Republic international looked like a man attempting to run in treacle at times during the second-half, his energy levels dwindling and his final ball falling short of it’s usual high standard.
Barry Ferguson praises Vaclav Cerny’s impact at Rangers
It is down to Clement, of course, to keep his squad fresh. And that is easier said than done when injuries are restricting his options. Furthermore, on the occasions Clement has shuffled his pack in the attacking third, Rangers have often struggled for fluency.
Clement was forced to introduce Cerny and Hamza Igamane at the break as the likes of Oscar Cortes failed to make much of an impression during December’s 2-2 draw at Motherwell.
But legendary Rangers captain Barry Ferguson feels that the players themselves must take some responsibility for ‘managing the schedule’. Something that he, playing over 40 games in seven seperate campaigns in Glasgow, did pretty effectively.
“There were times when I felt a bit leggy but it was about managing your way through the schedule, choosing when to turn the tempo up to ensure I was most effective,” Ferguson tells the Daily Record. “Not enough of the team right now have worked out how to do that.
“The one guy who has, it seems, is Vaclav Cerny.”
Ibrox legend hopes Cerny will join Rangers permanently from Wolfsburg
Cerny’s strike at Dundee was his eighth in the Premiership. In all competitions, the VFL Wolfsburg loanee has 11 goals and seven assists across 31 Rangers appearances.
Clement confirmed a few weeks ago that Rangers may struggle to finance a permanent deal for Cerny, with his Bundesliga employers reportedly looking for around £6 million.
Ferguson is praying that Rangers can find some way to retain the former Ajax starlet’s services, however. Cerny, the club’s top scorer in league action, is comfortably the most potent threat Ibrox has seen on the right-wing since Daniel Candeias’ days in blue.
“He's a player I like and would love to see stay beyond this year's loan,” says Ferguson. “He's not been quite as prominent in general play lately and perhaps that is down to his fatigue levels.
“But he's a player who can come up with big moments, as you saw with his equaliser against Dundee. It was his 11th goal of the season and most of those have been vital to Gers.
“I read another stat this morning which said his goals have directly contributed 14 points to the Ibrox cause. Take them out and we'd be sitting level with sixth-placed St Mirren!
“It looks like his German parent club will be looking for a fee north of £6 million but will that be beyond Rangers' budget? We'll just have to wait to hear what [chief executive] Patrick Stewart has to say for himself.”
If the Glasgow giants are forced to consider affordable alternatives, Rangers could potential turn to Malaysia winger Arif Aiman Hanapi.
Another right-sided attacker, Hanapi is rapidly outgrowing the relatively small pond that is Malaysian football with 15 goals and eight assists this season for Johor Darul Ta’zim.
