John Souttar doesn’t need to win over his new manager – but Mick Beale knows the Rangers defender is now determined to show fans he has a big future at Ibrox.
The 26-year-old is edging closer to ending his injury nightmare in Govan with a comeback pencilled in later this month or early February. Souttar is counting down the minutes after lasting just 67 of them in his debut against Livingston back in July.
A troublesome ankle injury from his Hearts days flared up and required surgery – leaving the Scotland star as a bit of a forgotten man around Auchenhowie. Not by his gaffer, though. It sums up Souttar’s luck that the man who signed him was out the door before he got back on the pitch. But Gio van Bronckhorst’s replacement Beale doesn’t need any persuading about the centre back. The Rangers gaffer saw enough of Soutter from his three years in Scotland as Stevie Gerrard’s right hand man to know he has a player on his hands.
