Rangers star Leon King tipped to replace senior defender after what expert has spotted
Alan Hutton has insisted Leon King needs time in the Rangers starting XI alongside Connor Goldson.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Gers defender insisted King has a lot of potential and will be an important player moving forward.
The 19-year-old had been forced into the starting lineup alongside now departed James Sands at the start of the season.
Former boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst was forced to play the inexperienced pair due to his other, more senior central defenders being sidelined with injuries.
Since Connor Goldson and Ben Davies’ return, alongside the arrival of new manager Michael Beale, King has been forced out of the first team.
The centre-back has not played a single minute of Premiership football since Beale’s arrival and has not been included in the squad for the side’s last five league fixtures.
The return of injured John Souttar has only pushed King further down the pecking order.
As quoted by the Glasgow Times (11 March), Beale said he still has “high hopes” for the teenager but insisted Goldson and Davies remain his go-to at the back.
Hutton insisted King needs time in the starting XI alongside one of the more senior centre-backs.
“It is a shame because he is a very good football player,” he told Football Insider.
“When you are a young boy coming into a team like Leon King at Rangers, I think you have to play alongside experienced centre-backs. So if he was playing next to Goldson or Davies I think you see a better Leon King.
“But when he is put in next to a midfielder in James Sands, how do you expect him to flourish? I felt sorry for him in that stage.
“Hopefully it makes him a stronger person and he understands what it takes and can move forward.“
In other news, multiple clubs line up defender offers as Rangers contract talks stall.