“He knows where the goal is” – Gers find Aribo replacement
Soccer Football - Champions League - Third Qualifying Round - Second Leg - Rangers v Union Saint-Gilloise - Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - August 9, 2022 Rangers' Malik Tillman celebrates scoring their third goal Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Ross Wilson took the decision to sell Joe Aribo this summer rather than lose him for nothing at the end of the season and as a player capable of playing anywhere in midfield or the front three, he was always going to be difficult to replace.
Or so you would think.
When Malik Tillman arrived on loan from Bayern Munich – with an option to buy – there was a lot of excitement about the 20-year old USA international who had played at every age group level for Germany – and that was before we really saw him play.
His early cameos showed promise before man of the match displays against Kilmarnock and Union Saint-Gilloise proved beyond doubt that he could well be the man to step into Aribo’s boots, something that former Ger, Alan Hutton, speaking to Football Insider, agrees with:
“He’s definitely got the ability.
“In the roles that we’ve seen so far, he’s more than capable. He’s shown that he’s a talented young player, he’s only 20 as well. He’s changing clubs, he’s coming to a new country, it’s going to take him time to settle.
“I think we have seen him in flashes. I thought in the first leg he was really good for the first 15 or 20 minutes and then he maybe faded a little bit. He’s definitely got what it takes. So I think, hopefully, game on game he can become better.
“He seems like he’s fitting that Joe Aribo role. He likes to get on the ball and make things happen, he knows where the goal is. So I’m looking forward to seeing what he can produce week in week out.“
The biggest difference I’ve seen so far with Tillman is that it looks like he is more focussed on being involved in the build up phase of play before attacking the box and trying to get on the end of things, Aribo did a lot of his best work outside the box with a highlight reel that would be the envy of every footballer except for maybe Lionel Messi.
To put it another way, I don’t think Tillman will score the type of spectacular goals that Aribo did and became famous for, however, I’d back him to finish the season with better numbers – as Hutton says, “he knows where the goal is”.
