MICHAEL STEWART has backed John Souttar to bounce back following a difficult Rangers league debut at Livingston.
The central defender was part of a Gers backline who found it tough up against Joel Nouble, who opened the scoring.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's team would go on to take the three points thanks to goals from Scott Arfield and James Tavernier.
And reflecting on the game, Stewart reckons Souttar will have better days when he gets used to the new system he is playing in.
Speaking on Sportscene he said: “It’s clear for everybody to see that John Souttar’s got to do better.
“First of all, he’s got to get himself in the right position and then he gets himself spun and outmuscled.
“It’s a wonderful finish from Joel Nouble.
“For me it is [a problem he’s never played left centre-half before] because last season, when he came back from injury, he was playing in a back-three at Hearts on the right-side. He was very, very good.
“He’s gone to a new club, he’s playing in a back-four, he’s playing on the left side and he’s playing with a full-back who’s not the best defensively.
“All those things and combinations have led to what was – let’s be honest – an uncomfortable opening day of the season for the club.
“But John Souttar’s a good player and I hope he gets the time to bed into the position because it is an important thing that’s been lost in a lot of the conversations.”
