Rangers aren’t quite at crisis stage but will have to make adaptations to cover the significant loss of Filip Helander for what looks like is going to be an extended period of time following an operation.
Connor Goldson has been given the green light to return against Lyon following his period of isolation, however, with Jack Simpson not in the Europa League squad, we will be relying on Leon Balogun to stay fit – a big ask for a player with a less than perfect injury history.
There is one other option going forward though and one that Alan Hutton – speaking to Football lnsider – feels is a natural fit:
“I think he definitely has all the attributes required of a centre-half.
“I think he’s improved and matured as a player since he’s been at Rangers, and it’s a position that he knows well and that he can easily adapt to.
“With the injuries, Rangers will have to improvise with Simpson not available.
“He’s done well recently and managed to force himself into the team after Barisic’s slow start to the season.
“He was excellent in the game against St Johnstone at the weekend.”
Bassey played most of his academy and youth football at centre-half and for all that he has limited senior experience in the position, Hutton is right, he has all the attribute to make the transition and be a success in the middle of defence.
There are aspects of his game that require work but even this season we have seen an improvement, his final ball for a start looks to be on a different level to what we have seen before.
With Goldson one side and Borna Barisic on the other, he would have experienced players to talk him through games although, personally, I don’t think Gerrard will stray far from using Simpson and Balogun, taking extra care to make sure that the latter is fit for the big games until Helander returns – Bassey will just have to wait that little bit longer before fulfilling what he sees as his destiny.