Aribo all set for tilt at the title after trip to France
JOE ARIBO is ready and raring to go for the upcoming campaign and the chance to end Rangers’ nine-year wait for a top-flight title.
The central midfielder has started all three of Rangers’ pre-season friendlies this summer as Steven Gerrard gets his men up to speed for the 2020/21 season, and scored his side’s third goal in a 4-1 win over Motherwell on Wednesday evening with a sublime bit of skill.
The 24-year-old played a neat one-two with Alfredo Morelos and then did the same with Ianis Hagi inside the visitors’ area as he slalomed towards goal, before touching the ball inside neatly and placing his shot from close range beyond the reach of Trevor Carson.
The goal showed all that is good about Aribo; the close control, the nimble footwork and superb balance that have come to characterise the Nigeria internationalist’s game.
Posting on Twitter, Aribo said the goal was evidence that pre-season “Five-a-side sessions have helped” and in his post-match interview with Rangers TV, he elaborated on his first goal of his side’s pre-season campaign.
“In and around the box I like to make a lot of short passes and get one-twos and that’s what I did,” he told the club’s media channel.
“I played the first one to Buff [Morelos] and then after with Ianis [Hagi] and I had to show quick feet in the box and then slotted it in.”
He continued: “I take every game as it comes. I need to get myself ready as well as the team. I’m ready to go. I have been pushing.
“Since lockdown we have had individual programmes and now we are ready to go. I’m self-motivated so it’s not like they are pushing me but it’s good to have competition because we can’t settle or slack because we will lose our place.”