Rangers' stadium, Ibrox
Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton has suggested that Ridvan Yilmaz could leave Ibrox on loan in the January transfer window.
The Lowdown: Galatasaray interest
As per Turkish news outlet Takvim, Galatasaray are planning to make a loan offer for Yilmaz in January, and are closely monitoring his situation with the Gers.
The Turkey international has only made four senior appearances for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side since signing from Besiktas in the summer, and was an unused substitute again in the 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Premier League Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Latest: Hutton reacts
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has admitted that it is a ‘strange’ situation with Yilmaz and the club, adding that he could look to go out on loan in January, just six months after joining:
“It is a strange situation.
“I think Rangers put out a lot of money in transfer fees to bring him in.
“I think it has taken him a little bit longer to settle.
“We are going to see more of him hopefully in the coming weeks, there are a lot of games coming up so there is opportunity for him to shine.
“I think if it goes the way it is going, and Barisic is going to be a regular starter then he might look to go out on loan.
“But something in the back of my mind tells me that Rangers have paid all this money for him they are going to try and get him in the team.
“Hopefully in the upcoming weeks we will see a little bit more of him and he can prove his worth to Rangers.“
The Verdict: Play him more!
The solution seems simple enough, but Van Bronckhorst simply has to play Yilmaz more and start integrating him into the first team.
Barisic is far from his best form, having received plenty of criticism for his performance against Liverpool, and after spending £5m to bring Yilmaz in, the left-back should be getting more game time.
Nonetheless, with only two senior left-backs in the squad, the Light Blues should do all that they can to persuade Yilmaz to stay past January, and the best way of doing that is to give him more minutes on the pitch ahead of Barisic.
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