Rangers defender Calvin Bassey was impressive yet again at the centre of defence as the club defeated Hearts 2-0 at Tynecastle as he aims to battle his way into the Nigeria squad for the African Cup of Nations.
The player has been featuring alongside Connor Goldson in the heart of defence during the embryonic stages of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s reign, and he is exceeding all expectations.
His stats against Hearts show that he was calm and composed with the ball and worked well to keep a clean sheet alongside Goldson, minus a brief lapse in concentration midway through the second half where he nearly scored an own goal.
Bassey won 100% of his duels during the match and also completed a staggering 100% of his passes [SofaScore], proving that he is settling into the centre back role with ease and getting better and better with each game.
The 21-year-old wasn’t dribbled past once, made four clearances, two tackles and also blocked two shots [SofaScore] during the match and this performance could go a long way in the youngster’s hopes of being called up to the upcoming African Cup of Nations competition.
Although things may begin to look unclear for the defender as Nigerian coach Gernot Rohr has been sacked less than a month before the start of the tournament.
The defender chose to represent the Super Eagles and despite a call up to the World Cup qualifiers in October, he has yet to make an appearance for the national side.
The tournament takes place between January 9 and February 6 2022 and there is a good chance Rangers could have three representatives in the Nigeria squad, with Leon Balogun and Joe Aribo featuring heavily for the side recently.
Meanwhile, regarding the upcoming competition, Rangers are set for talks with the Nigerian FA regarding the Old Firm game on January 2.
