Russell Martin has revealed why he opted to start Youssef Chermiti ahead of Bojan Miovski in Rangers’ Europa League opener. The manager explained that Miovski showed signs of fatigue following the win over Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup, having racked up significant minutes since arriving in Glasgow.
Chermiti, who joined from Everton, has been impressing in training and pushing both Miovski and Danilo for a place in the starting XI. After two substitute appearances, he was handed his first start for the club.
Speaking to Rangers TV, Martin said:
“You always look at the opposition but also consider recent performances. Bojan has been excellent since he came in and scored at the weekend, but he looked a bit tired after going from very little football to a heavy schedule. He’s done brilliantly, but with three games this week, it felt like the right time to make a change. Youssef has been outstanding in training and, along with Dani, is pushing hard. Tonight was the right moment to give him his chance.”
Rangers confirmed XI vs Genk: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Cornelius, Meghoma, Raskin, Diomande, Aasgaard, Moore, Gassama, Chermiti.
Subs: Kelly, Wright, Rothwell, Barron, Djiga, Miovski, Rice, Gentles, Curtis, McCallion, Danilo.
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