Rangers 21-year-old heaps praise on Murty, pinpoints how he has made an impact
Rangers centre-back David Bates has revealed that Graeme Murty’s past as a defender for Reading and Scotland has helped improve him as a defender.
Bates worked closely with Murty in the Gers’ Under-20s side last season before stepping up to the first-team last season after Murty took interim charge of the senior side following Mark Warburton’s sacking.
The 21-year-old has remained part of the first-team squad since and found himself thrown in to Saturday’s Old Firm clash after only 17 minutes when Bruno Alves pulled up with a calf injury.
Bates revealed that Murty’s experience as a player has helped him work on certain aspects of his and pushed him on to get better.
“He used to teach me dropping off and defending. He was a defender himself, so he does help me a lot,” Bates said, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“Everyone gets on well with him. He has come in and gave the place a lift.
“We need to back him and show it on the pitch. It’s up to the board and people way above us about his future. We will play as well as we can for him.”
The former Raith Rovers defender has only make six appearances so far this season but has picked up man of the match awards away to Celtic and Aberdeen recently.
Bates moved to Ibrox last season on a development loan – ostensibly as a replacement for Ross McCrorie who Mark Warburton didn’t rate – before agreeing a permanent switch in January 2017.
The 21-year-old Fifer’s existing contract comes to an end in May and Bates will be hoping his performances on the training ground and in the limited game-time he is given is enough to convince the Ibrox giants to offer an extension.
In other Rangers news, David Bates is a fan of the job Graeme Murty is doing
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