STEVEN GERRARD had no doubt that Leon Balogun would make an immediate impact at Ibrox as he looks to get the best out of the defender for the remainder of the campaign.
Balogun joined Rangers following his exit from Wigan Athletic in the summer as Gerrard added another defender to his ranks in the aftermath of the injury that could keep Niko Katic out for the season.
The 32-year-old returned to the starting line-up against Lech Poznan on Thursday night and produced another assured showing to help Rangers record a second Group D victory.
And Gerrard is delighted to see Balogun catching the eye as he and Filip Helander alternate for the starting spot alongside Connor Goldson at present.
He said: "I like to have four centre-backs in the squad, I like to have different types of centre-backs to try and cover all bases for different types of games. Leon has come in and settled in really quickly.
"We knew he was a top player, I spoke to Paul Cook in detail about him when he was manager of Wigan. I know Cooky very well.
"He is an international player, he is very quick, he has got a fantastic profile, a profile that we like in that area, and he has come in and settled in really quickly and put in some real consistent performances.
"Leon is one we have to manage in terms of his body, he has had some injuries in the past and he needs looking after. The same with Helander from last year when we lost him for three months, which hurt us a lot.
"It is about managing the individual players in terms of physically. But, from their point of view, they all have to be ready to perform because four doesn’t go into two.
"They have to make sure their form is there individually and that they are performing consistently to get into the team."
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