One of the first signings of the new Michael Beale era was Dujon Sterling, a versatile right-back who chose Rangers despite having plenty of offers in England.
A few eyebrows were raised even if the 23-year old’s pedigree is such that he is a signing that makes a lot of sense in the long-term.
With James Tavernier in front of him Dujon Sterling has a difficult task to secure game time for Rangers, not that he is showing it, as reported by The Rangers Review.
The Gers skipper and Adam Devine seemed relatively set as first and second choice, however, Sterling looks set to throw a spanner in the works.
Comparisons to Calvin Bassey might be easy but there is a reason for this.
As a front-foot, aggressive defender, Sterling is different to anything Beale has in his squad just now.
He also has the ability to play anywhere across the back line.
Can Dujon Sterling oust James Tavernier from Rangers team?
But where does Dujon Sterling see his strengths and does he believe that James Tavernier can be dislodged as first choice for Rangers?
“I like to prioritise my defending. A lot of defenders now get judged on their stats and what they do up the pitch but defensively, they’re not great.
“I like to make sure I do my defending, win my one-on-one battles and then go forward to express myself – knowing my teammates and defenders have trusted me to defend.
“It’s about competing together but I’m not just tied down to one role. I can play many roles in this team so I don’t fear Tav being the captain at right-back.
“It’s about competition and we need competition in every area of the pitch.
“That’s how everyone gets better and nobody slips off. You need that for the whole season and there’s more than one game every week.”
The winning mentality developed through years of success in Chelsea’s academy appears to have stood Dujon Sterling in good stead as he looks to make an impact at Rangers.
Dujon Sterling’s versatility will mean that a place in the Rangers squad is almost guaranteed most weeks and a high volume of games makes him an obvious choice to provide back up.
The most interesting comment that the England youth international makes though is about his style of play.
If Tavernier is the definition of the modern full-back, Sterling – in his own words – is almost a throwback to a time when defending was more important that goals and assists.
Adam Devine looks like a reliable home-grown option but not a player who has shown anything to suggest that he could be the skipper’s long term replacement.
In Dujon Sterling though, once he recovers from his minor injury set-back, Rangers look to have found a player with the mentality and ability to push James Tavernier all the way and make the same impression that Nathan Patterson did when he got his chance.
Sterling is right, it’s a squad game and competition is healthy, let’s see how good the captain is going forward looking over his shoulder at the same time.
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