Rangers urged to give £3m man a first start in six weeks vs Athletic Club

Barry Ferguson has hinted at significant changes to his Rangers lineup ahead of the Europa League quarter-final first leg against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night.

However, the exact number of alterations remains uncertain. The call for Liam Kelly to take over from Jack Butland as goalkeeper is growing louder, especially following Butland’s recent mistakes.

Meanwhile, Hibernian’s David Gray, the reigning Premiership Manager of the Month, celebrated his side’s first victory at Ibrox since 2018 on Saturday, while Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande, Cyriel Dessers, and Hamza Igamane delivered some of their weakest performances of the season.

Could Ferguson consider starting Danilo against Athletic Club? Nedim Bajrami came closest to scoring for Rangers last weekend, hitting the woodwork against Hibernian. He has generally performed better in European fixtures, raising the possibility of his inclusion in the match against the La Liga giants.

Andy Halliday is also advocating for Ianis Hagi’s return, as Rangers have suffered five consecutive home defeats and managed to score only once during that stretch.

Andy Halliday says Rangers must start Ianis Hagi vs Athletic Club

The feeling is that Ferguson is wasting Hamza Igamane’s potential when forcing the Moroccan into an ill-fitting left-wing role to accommodate the occasionally-lethal but often-blundering Dessers.

As far as Halliday is concerned, the craft and creativity of Hagi is a must on Thursday. Whether that means dropping Igamane altogether, or pushing him forward into the number nine spot with Dessers relegated to the bench, well that is just one of many difficult decisions Ferguson faces over the next 48 hours or so.

“I don’t think Igamane can play wide left again,” says Halliday, who spent five years with the Gers until 2020. “But, again, I suppose it depends if they go three at the back or five.

“I would like to see Hagi play, just for that fact that he is that one who can create chances and he is good in tight areas of the pitch. He can see a pass.

“I think the lack of goals they’ve scoring at Ibrox, I would like to see him start.”

Barry Ferguson suggests Bailey Rice could feature in Europa League quarter-final

Like many others in a blue shirt, Hagi’s form has nosedived in recent weeks amid the ongoing uncertainty over his future. The Romanian international’s contract is due to expire but claims of talks with Serie A outfit Genoa are wide of the mark.

He has not started a game for his club side since the Motherwell reverse on March 1st.

Interestingly, Barry Ferguson hinted that Bailey Rice could have a role to play against the team sitting fourth in Spain’s top-flight. The teenage midfielder has featured infrequently in recent months. But, like Hagi, his composure and intelligence in possession could come in very handy against an Athletic team likely to dominate the ball at Ibrox.

“I’ve got a lot of thinking to do over the next couple of days,” Ferguson said moments after the final whistle blew against Hibernian. “But something I will do is I’ll be clear on what I’m going to do come Monday morning.

“Yeah, there’ll be a series of changes on Thursday night. And I can say that right now.

“The young ones are always going to get an opportunity. Bailey, I think, is a bit behind in development [but he is a] fantastic talent.

“Hopefully, he’s going to be available on Thursday [after a recent knee issue].”

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