RANGERS utility player James Sands has been urged to sit down with Giovanni van Bronckhorst to discuss a nailed down position for the player next season.
The 21-year-old is six-months into an initial 18-month loan at Ibrox from New York City.
The USA international arrived in January as van Bronckhorst's first signing at Ibrox.
Rangers hold an option to buy next summer, with the fee believed to be around the £3million mark.
His versatility has come in handy during his 16 appearances at Rangers so far, filling in at right-back, centre-back and in his more natural central midfield role.
However, Matt Lawrence reckons not having a fixed position could end up costing Sands his spot in America's World Cup squad for Qatar 2022.
The former Fulham, Millwall and Crystal Palace player reckons Sands' best position is at centre-back.
And he is urging Sands to sit down with the Rangers manager in order to nail down his position ahead of the new campaign.
He told the Daily Record: “When James was playing for New York City, he was playing as a centre-half and that’s the position I always felt would offer him his best hope if he wanted to move to Europe.
“He can also play in midfield and at right-back too, which gives the manager options.
“But I think for James next season, I think it would be best if he sat down with the manager and focused on the one position where he's going to stand the best chance of playing regularly.
“His versatility is useful but I think it’s always easier to really break into a team if you’re fully focused on one role.
“To be honest, I’m not sure he’s athletic enough to be a centre-midfielder.
“The big thing is that James needs to be playing regularly to get himself into the World Cup squad.
“He’s missed out on the last couple of squads which will be a concern.
“It’s an 18-month loan so if I’m him, I’d be having that conversation with the manager to also see if I’ll be playing more this year. If I’m not, I’d be looking to break the loan agreement because I wouldn’t want to risk missing out on Qatar.
“Whatever decisions he takes over the next three months has to be with a view to getting back into that US squad.
“Nobody ever gets assurances of game-time but he’s got to have a good feeling he’s going to get more minutes in Glasgow.
“And he’s got to have a feeling where he’s going to play."
