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Glasgow Rangers officially confirmed the appointment of their new head coach on Sunday as Philippe Clement has put pen to paper on a deal with the club.
The former AS Monaco boss has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract to manage the Scottish giants and, hopefully, bring success back to Ibrox over the coming months and years.
He has replaced English tactician Michael Beale after the former Liverpool coach failed to win a single trophy during his spell with the club.
Clement now has a job on his hands to get the supporters back onside and one way he could work towards doing that is by unleashing some of the younger players within the squad.
How many matches has Leon King played this season?
Leon King is yet to make a single senior appearance for the Rangers first-team during the 2023/24 campaign, and the talented youngster now has an opportunity to break back into the side with the clean slate that the Belgian boss’ arrival has provided.
The Gers academy graduate, who ex-Light Blues defender Alan Hutton dubbed a “big Rolls Royce”, has played 31 games for the club to date and has proven that he has the ability to play competitive football for the Light Blues.
However, his only minutes so far this season have come for Scotland’s U21 side as he lined up in a holding midfield position against Hungary U21s on Friday.
Statistic |
Leon King |
---|---|
Sofascore rating |
7.1 |
Interceptions |
Three |
Tackles |
Two |
Pass accuracy |
78% |
Duel success rate |
67% |
King’s performance against Hungary U21s (via Sofascore) |
The rarely-seen 19-year-old ace made a combined five tackles and interceptions and no Rangers player (minimum two appearances) has made more than 3.9 tackles and interceptions combined per game in the Scottish Premiership so far this season.
How did King perform last season?
King showcased his reliability in possession along with his defensive strength across 15 league outings for Gio van Bronckhorst and Beale last term.
The 6 foot enforcer completed 88% of his attempted passes and only five Rangers players have recorded a better percentage than that this season, which speaks to how consistent the youngster was on the ball for the Scottish giants.
He also dominated opposition attackers with a ground duel success rate of 67%, which shows that the central defender is able to come out on top in the majority of his physical battles on the deck.
Rangers have conceded five goals in their last three matches in all competitions and bringing in fresh blood could help to improve their backline for the upcoming matches after the international break.
Clement will surely want to have an instant impact on the side and that is why he could secure an early blinder by unleashing the rarely-seen King from the start.
He is an academy product whose inclusion could get supporters at Ibrox excited, as the talented teen is a homegrown star, and his aforementioned statistics suggest that the defensive skills are there for him to improve the side with his dominance and potential to make tackles and interceptions on a regular basis.
Clement, who worked with talented young centre-backs Benoit Badisahile and Axel Disasi with Monaco, must now provide King with an opportunity to prove his worth for the Scottish giants for the first time this season.