Should Aaron Ramsey line up for Rangers against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday, it will be the first time in almost exactly 12 months that he has started consecutive matches for his club. On March 6 last year, he played 70 minutes of Juventus’s 3-1 victory over Lazio before turning in another 75 minutes three days later when they beat Porto 3-2 in the Champions League.
The 31-year-old made only his second start for Rangers when they overcame Dundee on Sunday in the Scottish Cup. He turned in a polished performance with his deftness of touch and creativity in the final third belonging to a higher level than the one at which he is currently operating. The Dens Park pitch is a world away from the glistening surfaces Ramsey is used to playing on, too.
When Rangers swooped to sign Ramsey on deadline day, they would have faced a dilemma: the midfielder is clearly an immense talent, but just how many minutes would his legs allow him to play? The Ibrox club clearly felt that there was a risk worth taking.
In an ideal world, Rangers would have got more out of Ramsey than they have so far. His only two starts have come in routine Scottish Cup defeats of Annan Athletic and Dundee, while he has mustered just 29 minutes of action in the cinch Premiership and a further four in the Europa League.
Rangers have eight league games left, a Scottish Cup to try to win and the unexpected bonus of a potential Europa League quarter-final. Few expected them to beat Borussia Dortmund in the first knockout round but, now that they have a 3-0 lead over Red Star Belgrade at half-time of the last-16 tie, excitement among supporters is growing as the team exceeds expectations on the continent.
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As he did for Wales’s Euro 2020 campaign last summer, Ramsey has employed his own fitness staff to prepare for the domestic run-in and his country’s World Cup play-off semi- final against Austria in nine days’ time. While it would be a boost to Rangers’ aspirations to have him fit and firing, he also has personal motivations.
So far in 2022, Rangers have proved capable of winning big matches without needing his input. However, given what is at stake this season, having him available in the coming weeks and months would be a major boost for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Ramsey played on the right side of an attacking three behind Alfredo Morelos against Dundee. He was given freedom to roam and tended to play on the inside while James Tavernier went beyond him down the right wing on the overlap. The pair linked up on several occasions, displaying early signs of a fluent understanding between them.
Whether Ramsey is fit enough to be thrown in from the start against Red Star remains to be seen. However, if the start against Dundee is an indication that things are heading in the right direction for the player, then he will become available at a critical period of the campaign.
“I came here to win things and be competitive in the biggest games,” Ramsey said after the win over Dundee. “Thursday is a massive game and we are looking forward to it. It’s a big opportunity for us to get into a quarter-final and we have to be ready. It will be really hostile over there; we know we need a similar start to the one we had against Dundee. We are in a good position but we need to be smart and wise and, hopefully, we will have another night to celebrate.”
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Another player who made a rare start against Dundee was James Sands. The American arrived on loan from New York City in January but Sunday — he started alongside Ryan Jack in midfield — was only his sixth Rangers outing. Like Ramsey, the 21-year-old is eager to make his mark between now and the end of the season. He conceded that he is only now beginning to get his head around the rigours of the Scottish game.
“In Scottish football, you have so many types of different games,” Sands said. “The games you play at Ibrox are very different from the ones you play away from home. Different things are required in the games.
“I knew, going to Dundee, that it would be a physical match and there would be a lot of challenges; I think that helped me settle into the game. It’s great to have the likes of Ryan Jack and Aaron Ramsey in the team beside me. They are always talking to me and they make my job a lot easier.”
