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'No excuses' - Murray offers advice to player with Rangers exit agreed
Rangers defender David Bates will be going to a club every bit as big as the Gers when he joins Hamburg in the summer, according to former Ibrox midfielder Neil Murray.
Bates will join HSV on a Bosman when his Ibrox deal expires in the summer and Murray thinks the German giants will have a massive target on their back if, as expected, they get relegated from the Bundesliga.
The former Gers ace admitted that will bring its “own pressure” and insists there will be “no hiding places” for Bates in Germany.
“The first thing he will discover is that he’s going to a club every bit as big as Rangers,” Murray said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“I mean that in every sense — the stadium, the infrastructure and the support. Hamburg is a major club.
“They’ve never been relegated from the Bundesliga but that looks as though it’s likely to change this season and that will bring its own pressures next season. Every team in Bundesliga 2 will see them as the team to beat.
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“But that will bring its own pressure. If he doesn’t perform, there will be no hiding place and no excuses.”
The Gers defender has made 24 appearances for the Ibrox giants but has been sidelined in recent weeks with an ankle injury sustained in the Old Firm defeat by Celtic.
Bates joined Rangers from Raith Rovers – initially on a six-month loan – in August 2016.
Football Insider verdict
Hamburg aren’t as big a club as Rangers. Dress it up however you wan’t but the simple fact is Hamburg don’t come close to being a similar size to Rangers. Germany might prove to be a step too far for Bates as they prefer techically-proficient footballers and players comfortable with the ball at their feet. If HSV do get relegated next season, Bates better be at the very top of his game or he will quickly become a target for fans who will no doubt be furious at their side’s relegation.
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