Former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton believes Josh Doig would be an ideal solution to the Ibrox club’s impending decisions at left-back.
Borna Barisic is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with a return to Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb.
Ridvan Yilmaz has struggled for game time since arriving in the summer of 2022 but has impressed in recent weeks amid the absence of the injured Barisic.
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Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton believes Rangers boss Philippe Clement is closing the gap on Celtic as he assesses what the Ibrox club need in the January transfer window.
However, the Turkey international has been linked with a switch to Hellas Verona, where Doig has plied his trade since moving from Hibernian to Italy in July 2022.
Doig is also the subject of reported interest from Torino and Udinese and Hutton believes the 21-year-old would be a good fit at Ibrox.
“I thought that he was a player that both teams in Glasgow would have looked at before he left,” the former Scotland international said.
“He had all the attributes to be a modern-day full-back – physically strong, can get up and down the pitch, an attacking full-back and that’s how Rangers like to play.
Borna Barisic is out of contract at the end of the season
“He would come back a better player having played in Italy and you’d think defensively, he would be learning week in, week out. I think he would do a really good job.
“It looks like Barisic will be out of contract at the end of the season. Yilmaz was looking like the guy who was going to take over from him but he has been a little bit in and out. But he has had some really good performances the last few games.
“It was interesting to watch him against Kilmarnock. He played a little more inside the pitch. He has come on to a game and if he was to go, they have to bring someone in.”
Hutton believes up front is the key transfer priority for Philippe Clement with Cyriel Dessers struggling to win over the Rangers fans and Danilo and Kemar Roofe missing much of the campaign so far through injury.
Sam Lammers has scored twice since joining Rangers last summer
Sam Lammers is another attacking summer signing who has struggled to make an impact and he has been linked with a move to Utrecht.
Hutton, who was promoting the upcoming Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth-round fixtures, which see Rangers travel to Dumbarton, has been encouraged by manager Clement’s impact, having only lost to Celtic since replacing Michael Beale.
“You can’t not be impressed,” he said. “Winning the League Cup and getting into the last 16 of the Europa League by winning that group was massive for them.
“But just in general, their play has changed under the new manager. The only blip was against Celtic.
“Rangers are closing the gap in my opinion. It’s not as big as it was in previous seasons. It’s close now, it’s small margins between them – as we saw in the Old Firm game.
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Highlights from the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers.
“The small margins are in the forward line, that’s the difference between the two teams. You see the likes of Kyogo (Furuhashi). He is a big-time player, he gets those opportunities and puts them in the back of the bet more often than not.
“If Rangers can get someone in who can do that, as well as what they have, I think they will be in a good place.”
Hutton was speaking at a press event organised by Scottish Gas, proud partners of the men’s and women’s Scottish Cups.
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The winter transfer window is now open and will close at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Thursday 1 February, 2024.
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