It was never going to be an overnight job, however, Philippe Clement couldn’t quite keep the wolves at the door long enough to keep his at Rangers.
The Belgian was well intentioned; he seemed to have a genuine affinity with the Ibrox outfit, he loved the responsibility of being in charge at such a big club, and he set out to eradicate problems that he had inherited like the injury list.
One way or another, Clement didn’t have the game plan to consistently beat the rest of the Scottish Premiership and refused to adapt, either that, or the players simply didn’t want to listen.
What didn’t help his cause was having a Rangers squad that was limited in terms of being able to bail him out if Plan A wasn’t working.
At the start of 2024/25, Clement relied a lot on Tom Lawrence, who is one of five Rangers players who are out of contract in the summer, and faces an uncertain future.
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Tom Lawrence’s journey from Man Utd prodigy to Rangers outcast
On the 6th of May 2014 on the last day of the Premier League season, Lawrence was a part of history.
Having made his debut (and impressed) for Man Utd, the then 20-year old was replaced by his hero, and manager, Ryan Giggs, with 20 minutes left on the clock.
It was a day that Lawrence will never forget seeing as it was his only appearance for Man Utd, but it was also Giggs’ last ever appearance as a professional footballer.
Lawrence wasn’t even born by the time Giggs had been entertaining the Old Trafford crowds for three seasons.
At his best, Lawrence can still be a match winner, as seen at Dundee Utd earlier in the season and against Hibs.
There are few at Rangers, other than Vaclav Cerny and Ianis Hagi, who have a similar quality from long range.
Have any clubs been linked with Lawrence?
Like Kemar Roofe last summer though, injuries have taken their toll and Lawrence has lost most of the pace that he once had.
Lawrence, who was recalled to Wales’ international squad, is no longer quick enough to be a winger, but he doesn’t have the mobility to play centrally either.
A January link to Besiktas saw a potential Man Utd reunion with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but nothing materialised.
Once the next Giggs, Lawrence now has a fight on his hands to prove that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
