The ability to plug gaps may just see Rangers ace James Sands fill a seat on the plane to Qatar. But if the Ibrox utility man wants to really nail down a key role at the World Cup and a regular slot in Scotland, the American international has been told to hammer out an agreement with Gio van Bronckhorst over his positional plight.
Sands’ versatility was one of the main attractions for the Gers boss when he agreed to take the 21-year-old on an 18-month loan from MLS outfit New York City.He made his debut at Pittodrie back in January in a holding midfield slot but his more recent appearances have been limited to the brief occasions when van Bronckhorst has rejigged his backline into a three-man defence.Former Fulham, Millwall and Crystal Palace defender Matt Lawrence - who now commentates for NYCFC on American telly - has kept a keen eye on Sands during his time in Scotland.But having seen Sands miss out on US head coach Gregg Berhalter’s last couple of squads, the New Den Legend fears Gers’ Jack of All Trades could find his place in for this winter’s global extravaganza in the gulf come under threat unless Sands becomes a master of one.And if a consensus on his role in van Bronckhorst’s line-up cannot be reached, he’d advise the lad from the Big Apple to consider giving his spell at Ibrox the chop.
Lawrence told Record Sport : “When James was playing for New York City, he was playing as a centre-half and that’s the position I always felt would offer him his best hope if he wanted to move to Europe. “He can also play in midfield and at right-back too, which gives the manager options.Get all the latest Rangers news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.We cover every morsel of information
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