Philippe Clement has heaped praise on Rangers star Dujon Sterling in comments which will have bluenoses dreaming of a Calvin Bassey 2.0.
Rangers signed a whopping £23m deal when they sold Calvin Bassey to Ajax in 2022 – a club record transfer fee – and now attentions are focused on who might be next to go.
The Ibrox side are looking to ramp up their player trading model and Dujon Sterling – who joined in similar circumstances to Calvin Bassey – is a potential asset for the future.
The versatile full-back has come into his own amid an injury crisis in the middle of the park with Dujon Sterling named the Player of the Match from the weekend’s League Cup Final win.
Philippe Clement on Dujon Sterling
Fielding questions on the Rangers star ahead of the clash with St Johnstone, Philippe Clement is clear that he believes Sterling is going to be a seriously important player at Ibrox.
It comes after the Rangers boss was asked if he was “impressed” by Sterling’s performances as of late.
“Impressed is maybe not a good word because then you didn’t have that belief before,” said Clement. “I think my English is not that good to go that much into detail about words.
“No I expected it from him, what I saw in the training. And I told the club already that he’s going to become a really important player for the future.”
Do Rangers have Calvin Bassey 2.0?
Rangers fans reading the comments of Philippe Clement might immediately think of Calvin Bassey when it comes to Dujon Sterling.
Both are young English trained defenders who came through the youth ranks at top academies south of the border before joining the Rangers squad at the end of their contracts.
The difference here is however that Dujon Sterling had actually made the breakthrough at Chelsea before moving to Rangers.
Both also arrived as versatile full-backs, albeit on different sides of the pitch, before making their names in different positions at the club.
Now at Fulham, Calvin Bassey has gone on to cement himself as a central defender in the Premier League whilst Dujon Sterling is propping up the Rangers midfield.
Rangers have banked big on the English pre-contract market before and there’s a growing feeling that the 24-year-old could be next a few years down the line.
English-trained players go for super inflated fees and as the club looks to cash in on player trading in the years ahead, Dujon Sterling is one name to watch.
