Michael O’Neill has given Jordan Jones a big billing, as quoted by the Glasgow Evening Times, a week before the Gers start their 2019/20 season.
The Northern Ireland manager drafted Jones into his international setup in September 2017 after showing form with Kilmarnock.
Jones spent three seasons at Killie following his release by Middlesbrough. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, O’Neill is confident Jones will be able to deliver for his new club.
Jones tipped to star at Ibrox
“I do feel that he’s ready to make an impact at Rangers,” he said, as quoted by the Glasgow Evening Times. “It’s always a big step when you go from another Scottish club to either of the Old Firm and for some players, it can be difficult.”
“But I don’t think the move from Kilmarnock to Rangers will faze Jordan and I base that on a couple of things.
“Most of the games I went to see Jordan play before taking him into the Northern Ireland squad were against the Old Firm. And I always felt that while he did not always have as much of the ball as he would have liked he was always very confident when he was on the ball.
“He was always prepared to do the things he is good at and that’s what I liked about him. And as soon as we brought him into our squad we saw the same thing. He didn’t really need any time to settle.
“He’s now much better going on the outside as well as going on the inside. He knows the areas he needs to improve but when you have got that level of technical ability and pace that Jordan has you’ve got a lot of raw materials to work with.”
Jones is extremely popular with Northern Ireland fans. (Photo by Hendrik Osula/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Verdict
It’s great to see a highly respected international manager speak so highly of a recent Rangers addition.
Considering this deal was arranged back in January, perhaps a lot of the initial buzz around the signing has already worn off.
Yet, Jones will be determined to prove his worth when the action starts. He’s still a rough diamond and there’s no doubt he will frustrate the Ibrox faithful at times.
However, as we saw for Northern Ireland in Estonia, he can change games in the blink of an eye. He will be very useful when the Gers come up against stubborn defences, particularly, when deployed off the bench.