Glasgow Rangers boss Steven Gerrard was happy with his team’s victory against Maribor in the Europa League qualifying clash at Ibrox on Thursday night.
The Gers earned an emphatic 3-1 win over NK Maribor in the first leg of the Europa League clash, and Gerrard has plenty of reasons to feel happy.
Goals from Alfredo Morelos, James Tavernier and Lassana Coulibaly sealed the tie in Rangers’s favour, putting them in a strong position ahead of the second leg in Slovenia.
The Gers boss was particularly impressed with the performance of his club skipper, Tavernier, and hailed his display as “magnificent”.
The 26-year-old right-back has been a key player for Rangers and Gerrard will be happy to have kept him despite strong interest from West Bromwich Albion on the transfer deadline day.
Tavernier was in excellent form last season, and he has started the 2018-19 season with a bang. Gerrard said that Tavernier is a leader in the dressing room and he commands the respect of fellow teammates.
“James was magnificent. Look, good players attract attention from other clubs, even if I don’t appreciate that attention 24 hours before a big game,” said Gerrard, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“To be fair, he handled it very well and that was probably his strongest performance so far. I’m a big fan. He’s got ability, he’s got power – there is more to come from James.
“He is a Premiership footballer no problem but I noticed when I walked in he is a leader and a very likeable guy in the dressing room. People respect him”
The Baggies had a £3 million bid rejected, as reported by TEAMtalk, for the Rangers skipper, with the Gers initially demanding a fee of around £7 million and later letting them know that the player is not for sale.
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