Bassey is willing to play a central role to help fill Katic void
I will do a job anywhere. I need to bring what I’ve got to the table
CALVIN BASSEY is ready to answer positively if Steven Gerrard asks. Filling the void left by a serious injury to Nikola Katic is a challenge the Rangers newcomer would be willing to embrace.
While signed primarily to offer competition to Borna Barisic at left-back, the 20-year-old also operated in central defence during his progression through the age groups at Leicester City.
That adaptability could yet prove valuable. Katic is likely to be out for around six months with a cruciate-ligament injury, leaving Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and George Edmundson as the available centre-back options.
Rangers may well return to the market for a reinforcement, but Bassey would be more than happy to switch infield should the squad remain the same as the countdown to the Premiership kick-off on August 1 continues.
‘Left-back is my preference but I will do a job anywhere, if I am honest,’ he insisted. ‘Wherever the gaffer puts me, I will give 100 per cent and play as best as I can. Obviously, I don’t mind playing centre-back. I hope Niko gets well as soon as possible and I wish him all the best.
‘It’s all up to the gaffer. I’ll work hard in training and whatever team the gaffer decides to put out, you have to respect it and get on with it. If I do play centre-half, I would be happy and give my all.’
Katic made 29 appearances last term and his injury deprives Gerrard of a player already attuned to the demands at Rangers ahead of a hugely significant season.
The personal blow for the Croatian is clearly more severe still. Aiming for a place in his country’s squad for the European Championships next summer, Katic is now set for an arduous programme of rehabilitation.
‘I have seen him around the building, I was only really getting to know him,’ sympathised Bassey, who joined Rangers last week after agreeing a four-year contract.
‘He’s a strong character and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger. He just needs to work hard on his recovery.
‘He will be missed because you only need to look at some of his performances last season. But we have some very good players at the club and we are always going to believe we can step up.
‘At the end of the day the coaching staff and the gaffer will decide if someone else has to come in.
‘We just need to work hard in training and show it’s not too much of a big miss without him.’
Bassey’s main task at Ibrox will be to show he can threaten Barisic’s first-choice status at left-back.
The Croatian blossomed last term, contributing a glut of assists and impressing throughout the club’s Europa League run.
‘He’s a great player, a great professional and he’s someone I am looking to learn from,’ added Bassey.
‘I need to bring what I’ve got to the table and at the end of the day the gaffer will decide.’
Inspiration is drawn from some of the world’s best in that position. In particular, Bassey looks at the extraordinary development of Bayern Munich’s Canadian prodigy Alphonso Davies.
‘When I was younger, I felt Marcelo was a great player but I think football has changed a lot and you see the likes of Alphonso Davies, a young player, dynamic, strong,’ he continued.
‘It is all about adapting and I think Davies is a great player. I watch other players and learn from them but I would never say I want to be like someone because, at the end of the day, everyone’s different. I just play my game and take bits from other people and try to improve myself.’
West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen were also thought to have expressed interest in Bassey as his Leicester contract came to an end. Joining Rangers may provide more immediate opportunities for a first-team debut but it also brings an intensity of scrutiny, particularly as Gerrard’s side seek to prevent Celtic from winning a tenth successive title.
Whatever lies ahead, Bassey stressed that he will greet it with maximum commitment.
‘I will die for the shirt,’ he said, when asked about his attributes. ‘I will put my all in for every single game. I am strong, physical and quick. Every game requires something different and we will just need to see.
‘This is a massive club and I always knew there were going to be expectations. No one had to tell me. The boys have just been trying to help me settle in first.
‘We just get on to each other in training to make sure we’re all giving 100 per cent. That’s all you can ask for. We have players trying to improve themselves day in, day out.
‘When the season starts we will take it from there but right now we’re just trying to look forward to ending pre-season on a high and working as hard as we can to better ourselves.
‘I have always had expectation and I have always been touted. I have been in the academy from nine to 15 and I have always had pressure on me.
‘This is a different pressure but I have never had anything easy so I don’t expect anything to come easy to me here.’
Bassey admits the chance of Europa League action was a further lure. Rangers face Leverkusen in a last-16 second leg held over from the previous season on August 6, with qualifiers for next season’s competition coming up thereafter.
Performing at that level could also open up Under-21 international opportunities, as Bassey is eligible for England, Italy and Nigeria.
‘I was born in Italy but I moved to England when I was about four or five,’ he explained.
‘Both my parents are from Nigeria and that’s why I qualify for all three countries.
‘Right now, I don’t have any preference. I’m just focusing on Rangers at the moment. It is a massive club and an opportunity to play in a fantastic environment.
‘I’m just trying to give my all in every training session. Other things will come.’