Oduwa flicks no surprise to Ball, but flak took him aback

THE sight of Nathan Oduwa bamboozling defenders with tricks and flicks has been nothing new to Dominic Ball.

The outcry that accompanied the Rangers winger’s first piece of ‘showboating’ at Alloa was something less familiar.

Like Oduwa, Ball has been sent to Ibrox on loan from Tottenham and insists the whole point of the exercise is to allow natural talent to flourish in a competitive environment.

Oduwa caused some upset among the Alloa players when he marked his debut at Recreation Park with a flamboyant rainbow flick that lifted the ball over the head of defender Colin Hamilton.

There was no shortage of public support for the 19-year-old in the wake of the incident and defender Ball (right) revealed he, too, has taken the time to encourage his colleague.

‘I’ve always said to Nathan don’t be afraid to just go and do things,’ said Ball. ‘That’s his style. People say that sometimes he just does it for the sake of it but he gets results from it. Look at the penalties he’s picked up, look at the assists he’s provided — it’s effective.

‘A lot of the top players are like that — Neymar, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho — he’s got that similar flair and skill and, if you try to take that away, he becomes a different player.

‘So, he has to keep going for it but he also has to be effective, which he’s proved. Knowing he has the manager and the players behind him, that’s enough for Nathan.

‘The fans love it, everyone wants to see it and that’s why he’ll keep doing it.’

Warburton’s preference for a central-defensive pairing of Rob Kiernan and Danny Wilson has restricted Ball to a back-up role but the 20-year-old insists he is enjoying the move to Glasgow and believes he can rack up plenty of game-time over the course of the season.

He said: ‘I’m improving every day because there’s a lot of quality and intensity in training.

‘I speak to the manager and Davie Weir (assistant) regularly and they speak to the coaches at Spurs as well. I was brought here for the experience of the first-team environment at a massive club.

‘And I have played — I’ve been here for five weeks and played four games.

‘It’s hard because the manager is a situation where everyone is doing well.

‘I’m confident I’ll go back to Spurs a better player.’

Although he’s been named on the bench for a handful of Europa League matches, Ball has yet to make his debut for the London club.

Previously farmed out to Cambridge United, Ball is hopeful his second loan spell can help put him in the frame at White Hart Lane.

‘Look at Andros Townsend, he had about 10 loans before making the breakthrough, while Harry Kane had four or five. Ryan Mason also had quite a few and he broke into the team after eight years.

‘This move to Rangers is the perfect one for me.’