Match

Rangers must consider Serie A interest with questions raised over £2m star

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Rangers left-back Borna Barisic has to be amongst the most Jekyll & Hyde players at Ibrox Stadium.

On one hand, the Croatian international is a splendid crosser of the ball and a robust, athletic left-back who can often be a game changer.

On the other, Borna Barisic is often a timid, shaky defensive option who really, like most of this Rangers squad, does not like getting his feathers ruffled.

For critical Rangers fans, it was the latter who showed at Pittodrie as a nervous Borna Barisic played it safe time and again with his frustrating indecision boiling the blood of supporters.

Borna Barisic comes in for Aberdeen criticism

Having just been dropped by Croatia, the left-back looks like he’s lost some confidence and Rangers fans know that this is almost terminal in Barisic’s case.

Summed up by a frustrated Jack Butland demanding the defender pass forward instead of back as the club chased an equaliser, Ibrox fans have seen this story long enough to know the ending.

Rangers once again bottled the chance to turn up the pressure on Celtic with Borna Barisic’s shaky mentality rattled by Aberdeen’s physicality.

Rangers left-back dilemma

The club has probably got their £2m worth out the former NK Osijek captain since 2018 and now Rangers are at a genuine crossroads with the left-back.

With Borna’s contract up at the end of the season, and the likes of AS Roma reportedly monitoring his situation, this could well be the left-back’s final season at Rangers.

Heart of Midlothian v Rangers - Viaplay Cup Semi Final
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Given that Jekyll & Hyde style, it’s hard to pin down quite how the defender will be remembered if he does leave Ibrox this summer.

So much of that probably depends on how this season ends, with the tag of serial loser a hard one to shake and the Rangers leadership group under increasing scrutiny.