Rangers Philippe Clement worked with some of the best young footballers in Belgium during his time in the respective hotseats of Club Brugge and KRC Genk.
At Genk, the club where Clement launched his managerial career with the 2019 Belgian League title, the man currently in the Ibrox dugout shared a dressing room with Denmark star Joakim Maehle, Lille winger Edon Zhegrova, big-money Fulham signing Sander Berge, and a pre-Premier League Leandro Trossard.
And, after swapping to Club Brugge five years back, Clement helped to hone the talents of Charles de Ketelaere prior to that £30 million switch to AC Milan.
Lois Openda, now one of the top strikers in Europe at RB Leipzig, was also part of the now-Rangers boss’ Blauw-Zwart squad.
So when Clement puts Connor Barron among the most impressive youngsters he has come across during 30 years in football – both as a player and in his time as a manager – then that is quite the complement.
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Philippe Clement on what makes Rangers’ Connor Barron stand out
Speaking ahead of Rangers’ trip to Premiership pacesetters Aberdeen on Wednesday, Clement has no concerns at all about Bowen’s ability to handle the occasion.
The 22-year-old will make an emotional, and potentially rowdy, return to the club he left over the summer after refusing to extend his contract.
But, after Barron shone alongside Nico Raskin in Rangers’ Europa League thumping of FCSB, Clement expects him to play the game rather than the occasion.
“I worked with a lot of young players in my career,” Clement says during his pre-Aberdeen match press conference. “As a player and as a manager, he’s one of the most mature that I’ve met at that age.
“I’m sure he’s ready for [the Aberdeen atmosphere] and he’s just focused on football. That’s his strong point also. He’s only busy with football and with his ambitions to become better and become important for this club.
“So, I don’t have any doubts about that.”
Make no mistake, Barron will not be welcomed back with open arms at Pittodrie.
Rangers’ new midfield maestro rose through the ranks during seven years with Aberdeen. And the nature of his departure certainly rankled with some, a tribunal still on the horizon with the two clubs yet to agree a compensation fee for a footballer who surely ranks as the most impressive of Rangers’ 10 summer signings on current form.
Clement opens up on the importance of Aberdeen clash
After losing at Kilmarnock a week ago, a victory for unbeaten Aberdeen would leave Rangers nine points off the top before Halloween.
Legendary Ibrox skipper Barry Ferguson wants Clement to drop Robin Propper for Rangers utility man Neraysho Kasanwirjo, with the Belgian under pressure to secure what would be one of the most pressure-relieving wins of his tenure.
“We have to win every game,” a bullish Clement adds. “We have to win the first game of the season and we have to win the last game of the season. So, there’s no difference in that. We always want to win every game.
“There is a lot of confidence and belief in the team. [Beating Abedeen] would help from the outside maybe, [with] perception around the team and the evolution that the team is making. In that way, it can help a lot.
“All the team has the confidence to go there to get a good result. But also [I have] a lot of respect to Aberdeen and what they’ve been doing at the beginning of the season. How they’ve played and how they took their points.
“So, it’s going to be a huge battle.”
