Journalist Jonny McFarlane has suggested that John Lundstram’s place could be at risk following Michael Beale’s appointment at Rangers.
The former assistant to Steven Gerrard returned to Ibrox on Monday as he was announced as the new Light Blues boss.
With a change in the dugout, discussions have already started as to what Beale may bring to the club, who he will look to target in the January transfer window and what players will be given a new lease of life following Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s dismissal.
However, McFarlane has suggested that Lundstram could be someone who suffers from the managerial change.
Speaking on the Rangers Review YouTube channel, he said: “The right centre-midfield [slot], that’ll be up for debate. Lundstram might be able to fit in there – whether he’s got the tactical discipline to fit in a Michael Beale midfield, I’m not sure.
“I think he might be a loser in this scenario. But then, Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale were quite insistent on bringing him in, so perhaps Lundstram having had some time to bed into Rangers, to bed into Glasgow, to bed into the expectations, might fit into that midfield better than he did under Steven Gerrard.”
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The former Sheffield United dynamo was brought to Glasgow in the summer of 2021 just a few months before Beale and Steven Gerrard departed for Aston Villa, and has since become a fan favourite at Ibrox.
Despite McFarlane’s concerns, the 28-year-old had become a regular in the Bears’ starting XI at the base of their midfield, having initially struggled for game time.
With rumours suggesting that the club are interested in signing U21 international midfielder Nicolas Raskin from Standard Liege, it could perhaps throw Lundstram’s place in the team into doubt, but it will be interesting to see who Beale names in his side on 15th December against Hibernian and how he reacts in the market thereafter.