By Daily sports on August 12, 2020

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has hailed the club’s summer signing Leon Balogun as a top player.

The 32-year-old joined the Gers in July after parting ways with Championship side Wigan Athletic following their relegation to League One.

The Super Eagles defender immediately hit the ground running, walking straight into the Gers’ starting XI in their opening league game of the season against Aberdeen.

The centre-back shone in the encounter, helping the Ibrox Stadium outfit keep a clean sheet as they secured a victory in the game.  

Balogun’s solid defensive showings in the match earned him a place in the Scottish Premiership Team of the Week.

The Nigeria international again shone in his second game for the Ibrox Stadium outfit against St. Mirren, helping them to secure a 3-0 victory on Sunday.  

Ahead of their clash against St. Johnstone on Wednesday, Gerrard, who is not surprised by the performances of the defender, has praised him for his showings.

“We knew we were getting a top player in Balogun,” Gerrard said in a pre-match press conference.

“He is our type and fits our profile and it is important at Ibrox when a team is deep for a defender to be able to sit on the halfway line.

“I spoke to [Wigan manager] Paul Cook about him and he had only good things to say about Leon.”

The experienced defender has spent most of his career in Germany playing for Turkiyemspor Berlin, Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Darmstadt 98 and Mainz.

The centre-back featured in 52 league games for the 05ers before joining Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2018.

Balogun then teamed up with Wigan in January initially on loan before the deal was made permanent to enable him to complete the season with the side.

The defender, who was born to a Nigerian father and German mother, has 32 caps for the Super Eagles and was part of the side that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. (Goal)

•PHOTO: Leon Balogun 

Source Daily sports

Posted August 12, 2020

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