The terms of their deal will remain private - but it’s no secret the mysterious pact struck between Michael Beale and Borna Barisic is having exactly the effect both desired.
Rangers’ Croatian ace didn’t exactly spill all the beans on the man-to-man sit down he had with his new boss and the agreement they reached after returning from his World Cup adventure. But he peeled back just enough of the curtain to reveal an insight into how the Londoner’s man-management skills are proving every bit as vital as his much-vaunted coaching credentials to this Rangers resurgence.
During Gio van Bronckhorst’s tenure, the once-rampaging left-back seemed to be drifting towards the Ibrox exit. Under instruction to limit his forays forward, Barisic was denied the scope to show the full range of his talents he’d previously displayed as a key component in the title-winning team Steven Gerrard constructed hand in hand with Beale. All that changed with the Londoner’s return as gaffer and once again Barisic has been given licence to roam. The result is some of the 30-year-old’s most consistent performances in months.
