Bongani went up against Mo Salah in front of 75,000 screaming Egyptians and won.. the Old Firm won’t faze him
Baxter backs Zungu to star for Gers
BONGANI ZUNGU had his heart set on a move to Rangers as soon as the Liverpool-daft midfielder learned of Anfield legend Steven Gerrard’s interest.
But it was the night he helped reduce current Reds superstar Mo Salah to tears that convinced his former national team boss Stuart Baxter he was destined for the big time.
Much-travelled Scot Baxter believes Rangers, Scottish football and Gerrard will be the perfect combination for the 27-year-old Amiens midfielder.
Baxter struck up a close relationship with Zungu, who finally made the move to Ibrox with a deadline-day loan move after being linked with Gers throughout the summer, during his second spell in charge of South Africa.
The highlight came when they shocked hosts Egypt 1-0 last summer in front of a capacity Cairo crowd in the last 16 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Baxter knew then Zungu had the temperament to handle the big occasion as he wasn’t fazed by 74,000 partisan fans or some of the illustrious names in the opposition ranks.
The Gers new boy was always set to move when Amiens were relegated from Ligue 1 and was linked with a move to Spain where a move to Real Mallorca fell through in January.
Gerrard has been desperate to add a dynamic midfielder that is seen as the final piece of the jigsaw. Baxter says Zungu can fill that role but can also be deployed as a deep-lying midfielder.
Zungu never hid his affection for Liverpool and at the height of the speculation linking him with Gers, he photoshopped an image of him in a Light Blues shirt alongside Gerrard.
And Baxter said: “Bongani can be anything he wants to be. He has the temperament to handle big occasions so the Old Firm won’t faze him.
“We played Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations in front of 75,000 screaming Egyptians and he was up against Mo Salah, and Trezeguet and Mohamed Elneny were playing.
“That would have been the equivalent of an Old Firm game in terms of hostile atmosphere and pressure situation. Egypt were managed by the Mexican Javier Aguirre and we were leading 1-0 so he was facing the sack.
“Bongani went down right in front of the bench and he was standing shouting in Spanish, ‘Get up you p***y’. I understood and had a go at him and told him to sit down. Bongani came up to me after it and thanked me for sticking up for him.
“He just likes that competitive environment and that night showed me what he was all about. We got to the quarterfinals and lost 2-1 to Nigeria with the last kick of the game but we played Nigeria away in qualification and beat them 2-0. Bongani was outstanding on that occasion.
“In their midfield they had people like Wilfred Ndidi. You’ve got to be able to put your foot in if you’re going to beat Nigeria in their own backyard.
“At club level he’ll have come up against PSG, Marseille and Monaco in Ligue 1 so if you can hold your own there then you know technically he’ll manage.
He’s a really talented lad and Rangers is a great choice for him because working with Gerrard in the environment of Rangers will bring the best out of him.
“He can be that holding midfielder who gets it and builds but he can also run on a little bit and he’s quite clever around the box and he’s a big lad so if he arrives in the box he can score a goal.
“I don’t want to make him out to be a genius but if Stevie wants him to hold he can hold. If he wants him to run on then he’ll run on and he’s big so he’ll put his foot in. He can do the job Stevie wants him to do because he’s quite adaptable.”
Gers have been on the trail of Zungu throughout the summer and reports he failed a medical due to a lack of fitness earlier in the transfer window didn’t come as a huge surprise to Baxter.
He admitted the player needs to be constantly challenged to bring out the best in him and that’s where he believes Gerrard’s management style will help him flourish.
The veteran boss said: “I wouldn’t have recommended Bongani joined a club where they were going to be vague with
He just likes that competitive environment and that night
the instructions and the football is slow.
“I can’t stress enough that he needs to be on the edge, pushing and aggressive because that brings the best out of him. Gerrard, Scottish football and Glasgow Rangers is a good fit for him.
“If the game is going very slowly or he feels like it’s a piece of cake for him he can easily get too lax so the frantic pace of Scottish football will help him.
“Bongani, when he’s not challenged, can get sloppy.
“That’s why I’m saying the nature of Scottish football, the history of Rangers and the way Gerrard is clear and direct will make it a perfect environment for him.
“He can’t get lazy, he’ll stay focused and then he can play. It was written he’d failed a medical at Rangers before because he was out of shape and to be fair at that time he had been outt of the Amiens team due to injury. ry.
“Sometimes in situations like ke that he’d prefer to watch the he TV in the evenings instead of getting a bit more work done. e. But if he was playing Marseille e on the Saturday then n suddenly he’s got all the bits s and pieces he needs.
“I’m sure at Rangers they will make sure he’s highly motivated at all times.”
showed what he’s all about
STUART BAXTER