NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR LAWRENCE
Injured star can become a vital player for Rangers, says Beale
MICHAEL Beale believes Tom Lawrence can still make a significant impact as a Rangers player. Signed from Derby County last summer, the last of the Welsh attacking midfielder’s nine outings came in a 4-0 thrashing of Ross County at the end of August.
One of a number of key signings forced on to the sidelines this season, the 29-year-old was forced to undergo surgery on a knee injury. Barring any further setbacks, Lawrence now hopes to reboot his Rangers career in pre-season.
And Beale hopes he could still have a player capable of delivering on his early promise at Ibrox.
‘Tom is a player that started the season ever so well,’ said the Rangers boss (below). ‘He came in as an important signing, an experienced member of the squad.
‘He didn’t come in to be a player for the future, he came to be a “now” player. He was important in the PSV games, for example — and then he got a horrific injury. He was on his way back from that and had some complications from that.
‘I expect him to be back probably a couple of weeks into pre-season. Either at the same time as everybody else or a couple of weeks behind. But, having said that, he needs to make up maybe eight or ten months.
‘He will be a really important player because he is a player I haven’t had and Gio (van Bronckhorst) didn’t have for a long period either. He has been lost.’ Delaying surgery until there was no alternative, Lawrence has spent recent months recuperating. In preparation for his return to the squad early next season, Beale has begun outlining his plans for Lawrence in the future and with regard to integrating him into the squad once more. ‘The first thing you do is make him aware that you know him as a player — and he knows that, because we played against each other a lot,’ said Beale. ‘You let him know he is valued and you ask him for an opinion from watching from the outside. ‘And, as he gets closer, then you start talking about the way we are going to play and where he fits in. I don’t think that (would have been) the right thing to do early in his injury. ‘Tom’s family are based in Manchester and he moved here on his own to play for Rangers. ‘When you are not playing, I think it’s important you have your family around you. So it’s a mixture of being here for what he needs, working, and having his support network around him when he needs it. ‘We have had a conversation in the last couple of weeks because now we are talking about what he is coming back to. ‘You can see that his whole personality is changing now because he is back in rehab and starting to move in the right direction.’
Shortly after his arrival, Lawrence scored in three successive games against St Johnstone, PSV and Hibs.
In a running trend of Rangers’ season, his injury robbed the team of much-needed experience and creativity shortly before the first Old Firm game at Parkhead in September. Rangers, still under the management of Van Bronckhorst, lost 4-0.
‘It’s been like that,’ Beale admitted. ‘(Filip) Helander was so important to us. (Kemar) Roofe was so important to us. Roofe has played twice since I came back and scored in both games. He’s just not been available.
‘We lost key players, in my opinion, key athleticism in (Joe) Aribo, (Calvin) Bassey and (Nathan) Patterson. For good money, but we lost key players. (Leon) Balogun was a big influence, (Jermain) Defoe was a big influence, Helander, Roofe. We brought Lawrence in to be a big influence.
‘So we need to clean that up, for sure. We need to have our strongest, oldest, most experienced players available more often next year, playing with a bit more consistency and a slightly tighter squad.’
The return of Lawrence would only add to the feeling of a fresh start around the club. The 3-0 win over Celtic last weekend has added to a sense of renewal as Beale prepares to tie up new signings Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling and defender Auston Trusty.
‘The challenges will still be the same, the pressures and the expectations are maybe going to be a little bit higher,’ he said.