Glasgow Rangers transfer target Jack Tucker has been told that he is of a good enough standard to play for the Ibrox club – by his current manager.
The ‘Gers were first linked with the Gillingham centre-back in February (as per The Scottish Sun) and his manager Steven Evans has said that the 20-year-old has what it takes to succeed at Ibrox if he were to make the move.
Evans told Herald Scotland: “I think Jack could play in the Scottish Premiership tomorrow. At Gillingham, we’re not Celtic or Rangers, Hearts or Hibs but we wouldn’t be bottom of the league. We’d probably be on a par with Motherwell, maybe. I would certainly say Jack Tucker could absolutely play for Celtic or Rangers.
“He is an exceptional and exciting young talent. He got into our team at the start of the season and after a few games he’s been outstanding and he’s getting better week by week.”
Tucker is quite raw, having only made 36 appearances for Gillingham, although 33 of those have come this season as he has carved out a regular place in the starting XI. According to Herald Scotland, he caught the eye of West Ham manager David Moyes after an impressive performance against the Hammers in an FA Cup clash in January.
The 20-year-old averages 1.5 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.3 clearances per game, which hints at an aptitude for breaking up play and taking a no-risk approach defensively. He also wins 2.9 headers per game but ball distribution is one of his weaker points, with a poor passing accuracy of only 46.9%. [via WhoScored]
[freshpress-quiz id=”302364″]
Currently operating in League One, Tucker’s potential acquisition by the ‘Gers would have echoes of their purchase of George Edmundson from Oldham last year, with the Englishman signed from League Two and managing to earn a regular run of games in the early weeks of 2020 after patiently waiting for his chance (as per TransferMarkt).
While Tucker clearly needs to work on his ball retention and he remains relatively inexperienced, he seems to have plenty of promise and, valued by Gillingham at a modest £1.5m (as per Herald Scotland), he would be a cut-price acquisition.
[freshpress-poll id=”303397″]
Edmundson has shown that players can come to Ibrox from the English Football League and forge their way into Steven Gerrard’s plans, with the 22-year-old being lauded by many ‘Gers fans for an excellent performance in the Europa League win at Braga. He is the perfect example to whom Tucker could turn for inspiration in weighing up whether to make the move to the Light Blues.
‘Gers fans, can you see Tucker following in the footsteps of Edmundson if he comes to Ibrox? Comment below with your views!
