A POWER struggle is taking place at Rangers between Philippe Clement and one of his players, according to two pundits.
Alan Hutton and Michael Stewart, the former having played for Gers, observed some worrying signs of disharmony during the Light Blues’ Premier Sports Cup semi-final at the weekend.
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Rangers beat Motherwell 2-1 in the end to book a place in the final against Celtic next month, but they didn’t look totally convincing and in amongst it all, it’s been suggested there is a “bit of needle” between Clement and Dujon Sterling.
A second half sub at Hampden on Sunday, Sterling replaced skipper James Tavernier in the 67th minute with the score locked at 1-1.
Signed by Michael Beale last summer, Sterling has found regular minutes hard to come by this season under Clement.
And it seems it’s having an effect on his demeanour – even if his performance on Sunday after coming on would suggest his effort levels can’t be questioned.
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Speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club, Hutton began: “I was watching him as the teams came out, he looked disinterested. I watched him in the warm-up, he looked disinterested. I watched him at half-time, he looked disinterested. It was a worry.
“He even strolled by the manager, head down, he didn’t even look at the road he was on. It felt to me like something was going on.
“Don’t get me wrong, he then came on and burst into life, so fair play for that, but his whole demeanour looked off.”
Stewart though went a step further.
He suggested the apparent coldness between Sterling and Clement could be signs of a power struggle at Ibrox.
Indeed, Sterling’s main competitor for the right-back position is of course captain Tavernier.
Sterling has played in midfield and out wide for Gers too however and Stewart insists Clement should be doing his all to find a place for the 25-year-old in his starting XI.
He said: “Every time you see him, he looks like that. There clearly is a bit of needle there. For me, Rangers aren’t in the position where you can dismiss someone like that.
“This comes down to a manager’s own preference in terms of a power struggle.
“You put down your foot and you say ‘you’re not training hard enough or showing the right attitude, you’re not going to play.’ Or you twist it a little bit and get the best out of him.
“Any time Sterling is on the park, he improves Rangers’ team. He’s one of those characters who I think, from the outside looking in, he’s someone you can rely on.
“I don’t think he ever lets the team down. He’s a winner, he tries his all, and he has quality.
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“If the manager was just to put an arm round his shoulder and say, ‘How are you? Are you feeling OK? You’re starting on Saturday,’ give him that (boost).
“I don’t think Rangers are performing well enough with enough good characters to play hardball with Sterling. You’ve got to find a place in the team for him.”
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