Malik Tillman, he’s magic, give him the ball and he’ll score. Or words to that effect but Rangers’ number 71 is so much more than that.
The 20-year old USA international has gradually worn down most of the doubters in the Ibrox stands who choked at the thought of spending £5million on a relatively untested youngster, even if he was coming from Bayern Munich.
Still, despite having nine goals and five assists this season, there is a small element in the support that still claim that Tillman doesn’t work hard enough, this is despite him making more tackles than any of our so-called defensive midfielders.
What has also emerged, courtesy of Twitter page “Football Wonderkids” Tillman is fourth out of all Europe based Under-21 players when it comes to winning duels – not bad for a player branded as lazy or not doing enough out of possession.
⚔️ Total Duels Won, U21s in Europe:
🇬🇲 Alieu Fadera, 187
🏴 Jude Bellingham, 179
🇧🇫 Dango Ouattara, 147
🇺🇸 Malik Tillman, 143
🇧🇪 A. Onana, 136
🇫🇷 Manu Koné, 134
🇺🇾 Manuel Ugarte, 134
🇳🇱 Xavi Simons, 132
🇧🇪 L. Patris, 131
🇩🇪 T. Krauß, 126
🇪🇨 M. Caicedo, 114
🇩🇰 M. Bidstrup, 114 pic.twitter.com/pkgPZOWuuq— Football Wonderkids (@fbwonderkids) February 14, 2023
That is a pretty illustrious list in terms of some of the names that are on it and once again highlights just how much of a talent we have on our hands. It is little wonder that Michael Beale is so keen to get him signed up on a permanent contract, not that we would probably see him in Glasgow for much longer given the trajectory that his career appears to be on.
Tillman is one of those gems. Not only does he have incredibly technical ability in terms of passing, crossing, dribbling and finishing but, he is also tall, powerful and contributes defensively. The perfect mould for the modern attacking midfielder.
He might not have come through our academy but Tillman is fast becoming our very own wonderkid.