Wilson emerging as a natural leader at Ibrox
LEADING with composure and authority on the big occasion, this was how Rangers must have envisaged a 26-year-old Danny Wilson when he first broke through.
A bright 2018 beckons if the central defender can maintain the form shown in last weekend’s Old Firm encounter.
Wilson’s career path has not exactly been straightforward. The immense expectation placed on his teenage shoulders has often threatened to define him as a story of potential not quite fulfilled. What, though, if his best years were actually still to come?
Former Ibrox colleague Clint Hill is confident that can be the case. With country as well as club. Full of admiration for the way Wilson confidently blanked out Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths, Hill sees a player with all the attributes for sustained success at the top level.
Injuries, an occasional lack of game-time and some sideways steps have hampered Wilson following his £2million move to Liverpool aged just 18.
Even after returning to Ibrox for a second spell, some managers have appreciated his talents more than others.
Wilson did not start a single game this season while Pedro Caixinha was in charge. However, the Livingston-born player has been a mainstay since Graeme Murty stepped in. That faith was amply rewarded at Parkhead. Wilson (right, with Murty) will surely retain a key place in his manager’s plans after the winter break.
His performances may also be of interest to whoever ends up replacing Gordon Strachan. Six years have passed since Wilson won the last of his five Scotland caps. Hill, though, feels adding to that tally is well within his grasp.
‘Danny was outstanding against Celtic,’ said the 39-year-old, who joined Carlisle after leaving Rangers last summer. ‘With Bruno Alves going off early, he had to take on that extra responsibility and did it so well. He stepped forward as a real leader. He showed all the qualities you would expect from a senior pro.
‘Danny seems to have been around for a long time because of the age at which he first came into the Rangers team. But he’s not even in his prime yet. Usually, you come into your peak years as a centre-half around 28 or 29, so Danny has plenty of years left in him.
‘The fact he’s been around the club for so long over the two spells also makes him a valuable asset in terms of when new people come in. They just need to look and listen to Danny to gauge what it is to be a Rangers player and what is expected of them. ‘As a centre-half, he has loads of composure on the ball, reads the game very well and is good in the air. ‘Listen, it’s been a mixed time for Rangers overall since going up into the Premiership after a few years away. There were always going to be some difficult moments. For me, though, Danny has really shone recently. ‘I’m sure he’s still interested in the international scene. It’s all up to him. If he can carry on the form he’s shown over the last three or four weeks for the rest of this season, then I can’t see there being any issue at all with a Scotland call-up. RANGERS legend John Greig joined manager Graeme Murty, head of administration Andrew Dickson and director Paul Murray in remembering the 66 victims of the Ibrox He has all the attributes to get back in there.’
Wilson’s experience was evident in the way he coaxed David Bates to excel after the 21-year-old stepped off the bench to replace the injured Alves at Parkhead. The Portuguese international yesterday posted a picture of himself wearing a protective boot after visiting a private hospital in his homeland.
‘You need games at centre-half just to get an understanding with your fellow centre-half and the full-back beside you,’ added Hill.
‘That understanding can only get better the more games you play in that position with a regular selection.
‘Danny has the shirt going into the winter break and it’s his to lose with the form he’s shown. It was good to see him playing so well beside Batesy. I like David. He was a good lad around the place last season and always showed a great attitude.
‘He came on at a very difficult disaster yesterday. A memorial service took place outside the stadium, with many supporters leaving flowers and wreaths in tribute to those who died in the tragedy on January 2, 1971. time against Celtic. As a defender, it can go either way when you suddenly have to step off the bench into that big a game. Thankfully for him, he excelled in that position.’
Hill now expects Rangers to build upon their Parkhead display. With Andy Halliday and Michael O’Halloran set to return from loan — and transfer moves being plotted for Jamie Murphy and Russell Martin — the Ibrox squad could have a different look come the end of this month.
‘It will be about kicking on against the so-called lesser teams and getting themselves as high as possible in the Premiership,’ added Hill.
‘It might be a busy January with a lot of players being linked. It also looks as though Andy is coming back from his loan away and you won’t get anyone more proud to wear the shirt than him. Overall, I think the squad will come out of the winter break in a stronger place.’