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“Brilliant” Arfield news should mean new Gers contract

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It’s a sign of how far Rangers has come as a club that we now have 14 international footbllers in the squad, when you consider that the likes of Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Ryan Kent are among those that aren’t, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that Giovanni van Bronckhorst has plenty of quality players available at his disposal.

Scott Arfield is one such player but, as announced by the player himself, his days of long haul flights to Canada are over after he revealed on Instagram that he had retired from international duty – if only Kemar Roofe would follow suite.

At 33-years old, it is probably a decision that is for the best and, speaking to Football Insider, Alan Hutton reckons that Rangers will be the ones who benefit the most:

“It’s brilliant news for Rangers moving forward.

“The travel would be a big issue. It’s different if you’re going from Scotland to European countries but going to Canada and back is a different story.

“You get to a certain age, and I did this myself, and think ‘I could be doing with a rest’.

“He’s played a lot under Van Bronckhorst, and I think that’s what he needs to focus on – playing for Rangers.

“When you get to that age, you have to focus on your day-to-day football. I totally understand why he’s taken that decision, I did the exact same thing and there are loads of players who have done the same.

“I think Rangers will benefit from having a fresh Scott Arfield available to them after the international break.”

Arfield hadn’t played much under Steven Gerrard this season until Van Bronckhorst arrived but he is now a pivotal part of his first XI, the ability to do the dirty work in midfield whilst also linking defence and attack are attributes only Joe Aribo possesses – there absence was sorely felt against Aberdeen.

Going forwards, a new contract now seems an obvious one, he might not be expected to carry the same work load but he is more than capable of contributing off the bench or starting games to give others a rest without any drop in quality, his experience and leadership could prove to be vital in the coming weeks, Hutton is right though, that he will now be fresh after every international break is an even bigger bonus.

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