Dujon Sterling has silenced doubters with two dominant derby displays, handing Rangers boss Derek McInnes double Old Firm delight and proving he can fill the void left by James Tavernier, according to former Gers full-back Alan Hutton.
Tavernier departed Ibrox in the summer after an 11-year career that saw him score 144 goals in a blue shirt. His exit sparked calls for McInnes to offer an immediate return as the Light Blues stumbled early, with pundits like Andy Halliday insisting Tavernier remained a better option than Sterling or summer signing Ross McCrorie.
Hutton's Long-Standing Belief
But Hutton, a former Aston Villa ace, has always been a huge fan of the Londoner. While he admits Sterling will never match Tavernier's attacking numbers, he is satisfied if he keeps leaving opposition wingers drawing blanks.
Hutton told Record Sport: "He's been brilliant, but I've always thought that. I've always thought he's had the capabilities to be a top player within Rangers, especially the defensive side of it. He showed in those two Celtic games his pace, his aggression, his willingness to stand up one-vs-one, it doesn't matter who it is he's facing."
"The only thing is you ask is maybe in the final third, could he do a little bit better? But are we judging that against the likes of Tavernier and what he brought to this team? Today as we stand, I think the Rangers in the front line have got the players which means they now don't necessarily need their right-back to be up there and swinging balls in every two seconds."
Defensive Focus and Injury Recovery
"It means Sterling can focus on the defensive side of it, which is good. Nobody can live up to the record Tavernier had at the top end of the pitch. That's like a one-off situation. His goals and assists were absolutely phenomenal. Everybody will look at Sterling and they'll judge him against what Tav did. But I think there has to be a balance within it because you have to ask, what do you want as your defender?"
"Do you want them to be very good defensively, one-v-one, not giving away opportunities, being solid, which I think Sterling is. Or is it that when he goes forward up the pitch, do you want him being someone who can find a teammate with a cross or stick in the back of the net? I'm not going to sit here and judge Sterling on how many goals a season he scores. But keeping him fit is the key thing now."
Sterling's Rangers career has been blighted by a frustrating run of injuries. Without them, Hutton is convinced he'd have ousted Tavernier long ago - and could even have earned himself a move to the Premier League.
Fitness and Competition
Hutton said: "He's that good a right-back that he would have definitely challenged Tavernier in the position in previous seasons if he was fit. There's a lot of moments in games where you need your defenders to defend, and I think that's where he stood up and was counted, where he didn't let people get by him, he didn't let balls into the box."
"His strength was always that awareness around about him, knowing what's going on, where the runners were behind him - and he's got that pace. That's a big thing that you need at full-back, especially nowadays when you're coming up against some of the trickiest wingers that there are in football, you need to have that recovery pace, so he ticks all those boxes."
So far, Sterling has steered himself clear of the injury woes of old. He credits it to ditching his utility-man tag and nailing down a regular slot on the right-hand side of McInnes' backline. Hutton added: "It's so important, honestly. It's good for managers that he can be versatile and maybe play centre-back or defensive midfield. But you need to play in your position, you need to develop in that position because that's where you see your future, so I wouldn't want to be known as the guy that will just get in because I can play anywhere."
"No, it's much better for him to say, 'This is my position and this is where I'm staying'. Dujon is just going to go from strength to strength, if he takes care of his body. He ticks all the boxes for me, so it's just staying fit and he can get to the next level."
Sterling will have to maintain his levels, though, with Serbian international Kosta Nedeljkovic breathing down his neck having arrived on loan from Hutton's old Midlands club. Hutton said: "I speak to John McGinn quite a lot as well as a few other different boys down at Villa, so I asked about Nedeljkovic when he signed, really because of the Sterling situation. I still believe that Sterling is the first choice right-back. The problem surrounding him is the fitness side of it. I think he's been good this season. But speaking to my Aston Villa contacts, they're all saying the same thing."
"Nedeljkovic is very aggressive in everything he does. He's got a great engine, he gets up and down - but he never had a sustained period of time really playing at Villa. So it's a case of coming in here, bedding yourself in, and then trying to get into the team and then showing your worth for Rangers."
"Nedeljkovic obviously came up thinking, 'I'm going to be the regular starter at Ibrox'. But you find out that there's a lot of competition in these clubs, and you have to fight for your place, so he's going to have to bide his time, and when it comes, try and take it."
Hutton was speaking on behalf of NetBet Casino UK.
