Competition from Sneijder welcomed

DUNDEE UNITED: But Tangerines star Rankin glad it’s not older brother Wesley

John Rankin welcomes the competition Rodney Sneijder will bring to Dundee United and is just grateful he’s not battling it out with his brother.

Rankin is rooming with the former Ajax midfielder on the club’s pre-season tour of the Netherlands, which finishes tomorrow night with a match against Utrecht at Sport club Woerden.

He believes he has spotted a resemblance to Sneijder’s superstar sibling in the new trialist but joked that he is glad he doesn’t have to compete with Wesley for a spot in United’s midfield.

Asked if he would be happy to welcome Rodney as a new signing, Rankin, below right, quipped: “As long as it’s not Wesley! “Seriously, he looks a bit like him. “Rodney isn’t the tallest of players but he is strong and good on the ball and that’s obviously the same for his brother and more.

“I am sharing a room with him and he’s a great lad. He only came in on Monday and then took part in a training session with us.

“He got a bit of the game at Alkmaar and I think we will see a lot more of him on Thursday night against Utrecht.

“It is all about competition for places and if the manager wants to bring him in then so be it. It’s another midfield option for the team and it’s great for everyone because it keeps us all on our toes.”

The 3-1 defeat to AZ Alkmaar on Tuesday made it two losses out of two after last week’s 4-0 thumping from Vitesse Arnhem.

However, there were positive signs in a lot of United’s play, as Rankin acknowledged.

“I think there was improvement against Alkmaar,” he said.

“When we faced Vitesse on Friday we were all a little bit rusty because it was our first game since the Dundee derby on the last day of the season.

“Personally, I felt a fair bit stronger against AZ.

“We were also more organised as a team, our shape was good and I think we had a wee bit more experience in the side that faced Alkmaar, which did help.

“It was the nucleus of the squad from last season and you see that we knew each other’s games.

“You are never going to dominate sides and have the bulk of the possession when you come to Holland but I still think we gave them a decent game and created chances. I know it was a 3-1 defeat but I really do think we have to be pleased, particularly with the first-half performance.”

One man who stood out against AZ was goalkeeper Luis Zwick, who could well be edging ahead of rivals Marc McCallum and Michal Szromnik in the race to be first choice when United face Aberdeen on August 2.

Rankin said: “You have to remember that the boy was an amateur last season and now he has just signed as a pro but he doesn’t seem fazed by it all.

“He sets up attacks with his kicking, which is first class.

“We have three goalkeepers in the squad fighting for the place and that’s great for the club.”