Philippe shown Rangers area that’s ‘massively overloaded’ with one star forgotten amid transfer demand

There is heavy competition for places in the Rangers squad but there won’t be much chopping and changing as per the boss.

With one star nearly forgotten, Philippe Clement takes on a Rangers team that is “massively overloaded” in a crucial area of the pitch.

Come January transfer window, the Belgian will want to leave his own mark on the glutted Ibrox group, and he’ll have support from a former ally in new director of football recruitment Nils Koppen, who comes with a solid PSV background. After his extended absence due to injury, midfielder Kieran Dowell is one of the names that former Rangers star Craig Moore believes Clement may try to make up for some of the mistakes made by predecessor Michael Beale’s eclectic summer signings.

Despite acknowledging that Dowell is making a lot of effort to get better, Clement has made numerous lineup changes since taking over and has only started Dowell for five minutes against Dundee in his first game since August. Moore acknowledges that he had kind of forgotten about the 26-year-old, but with that bulging area already, strengthening his position can’t be the top priority.

“You know what, and this is terrible, forgot all about him (Dowell),” he said to Go Radio. That’s a horrible thing to say, but it just goes to show that, particularly when you move to a new club, you need a little bit of luck to get off to a quick start and prove your worth. It’s an extremely harsh industry that can leave you unseen for a long time after you sustain injuries. You could easily be forgotten.

“He has a chance to rejoin the team, but as Clement points out, he enters a region that is severely overworked when it comes to hiring. Many people occupy those positions.

“We discussed where they are going, and as a striker, I say 100% for myself that you can always choose another striker who will score goals for you. Numerous players cover for positions as a result of that.

“I know this is an area Rangers have worked long and hard over so they would have certainly done their due diligence and held lots of formal discussions with candidates,” he continued, speaking of Koppen, the new director of football recruitment. The fact that he supports the club’s strategy and vision is, in my opinion, what matters most.

“He is a transfer from PSV, and their transfer budget may be a little bit different from Rangers’. It’s all about having a great network, which he undoubtedly possesses.

“Kieran is training hard and doing his maximum every day,” Clement stated on Dowell. We have a lot of players, and there is undoubtedly a lot of competition for the position he is playing. As long as they remain members of the club, everyone has a future there, so the answer is definitely yes.