McAvennie issues emphatic Rangers verdict after manager’s ‘big’ Leon King reveal
Frank McAvennie has heaped praise on Rangers defender Leon King for his performance against Ajax on Wednesday (7 September).
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Celtic striker was impressed by the 18-year-old’s ability to jump into such a high pressure match.
The Light Blues suffered a 4-0 defeat to Ajax in the opening game of the Champions League group stages.
The loss followed a 4-0 defeat to Glasgow rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership (3 September).
King, 18, made his Champions League debut in the game against the Dutch side.
He replaced captain James Tavernier for the second half of the defeat.
As quoted by The Times (9 September), manager Scotland under-21 manager Scott Gemmill has tipped the centre-back to have a “big” future at Rangers.
He added that Van Bronckhorst trusts the 18-year-old to play in important games and added that will help him in his international career.
When asked if King could feature in the starting XI for the upcoming games in place of the captain, McAvennie told Football Insider‘s Charlotte Cohen: “I think he’ll [Van Bronckhorst] have to change it.
“He brought King on the other night, I thought he was decent.
“For a young boy to go up and play against Ajax who are in full flow at the moment, it was impressive.
“They were under the cosh the other night, big time. It was the same with Celtic, they just did things quicker.“
In other news, McAvennie has made ‘weird’ Rangers transfer claim after Uefa reveal.