According to Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, Ridvan Yilmaz will start for Rangers against Hibs once more while the team continues transfer talks to sell him.
Prior to the trip to Easter Road, the Sports Digitale writer revealed on Twitter on January 24 that the Light Blues are still in talks to sell, but that no deal has been made.
Earlier that day, he had stated that the Turkish full-back had turned down the opportunity to join Serie A’s Hellas Verona.
In his letter, Sabuncuoğlu stated: “Rangers and Galatasaray are still negotiating for Rıdvan Yılmaz, but there hasn’t been a fresh agreement or formal offer from Galatasaray yet. Tonight’s Hibernian match will see Rıdvan start in the first eleven.
Trust
The fact that Philippe Clement is starting the 22-year-old even though Ridvan’s future at Ibrox is as uncertain as it has been in the 18 months since he moved from Besiktas is a testament to his faith in his mindset.
Before the 20 January Scottish Cup triumph against Dumbarton, the manager had conceded, when questioned about the same topic, that players may still leave even if they were currently playing, but he felt confident in employing them as long as their focus was correct.
Ironically, even though there have been rumors of him going back to Turkey during his time at Ibrox, the chance seems to be increasing right now, right when he is performing at his best for the team.
Aside from his disappointing end to the previous season under Michael Beale, Yilmaz’s run of five straight starts across all competitions is maybe one of his best performances for the Rangers.
If he is able to stay healthy, it should indicate that he may become the consistent starter that everyone expected him to be if he decides to stay this month.
Borna Barisic, who was himself speculated to have left the game during the Cup victory, has been hurt recently but has typically stayed at the top of the rankings; however, how he does this coming week will determine whether or not he succeeds in doing so again.
