'He showed on Wednesday how strong he is'- GvB hails Balogun for performance vs Celtic

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was delighted with the performance of Leon Balogun during Rangers 3-0 loss to Celtic in the Old Firm derby on Wednesday night.

With the Scottish Premiership champions trailing 3-0, the Nigeria international entered the game as a substitute at halftime to help the Light Blues steady the defence and he gave a good account of himself as they did not concede again in the second stanza.

Balogun has been involved in only one league game for Rangers over the last two months as he was rehabbing following a back injury that saw him withdraw from the Nigeria squad to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Without the Super Eagles star on the pitch, Rangers' defence have not been that solid in 2022 with seven goals conceded in four league matches.

When questioned about Balogun partnering Connor Goldson at center back going forward, Giovanni van Bronckhorst said at Friday afternoon's press conference : "He would have played before but people forget how many center backs I had available, how many center backs were injured, Leon is one of them.

"He has been out of the team, he just came back couple of weeks ago but he showed on Wednesday how strong he is and how valuable he can be in the squad."

The potential return of Balogun to the starting lineup could see Calvin Bassey drop to the bench or moved to his original left-back position.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel