Giovanni van Bronckhorst reckons Calvin Bassey is destined for the top - but insists the time is not right for him to leave Rangers. The defender has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League this summer, with former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard claimed to be keen on taking him to Aston Villa.
But no formal offers have been tabled for the 22-year-old after a storming end to last season. He helped Rangers reach the Europa League Final and win the Scottish Cup with a series of dominant displays after being moved into a centre-back role alongside Connor Goldson.
Van Bronckhorst insists the former Leicester City youth's development was "fantastic" and vowed to help him reach a level where top teams will be banging down the Ibrox door. But he cautioned that Bassey still has work to do in Scotland before he's ready to take another step up. The Rangers manager said: “Of course the development of Calvin Bassey last season was fantastic.
“He can be very good. I always remember the first game we played at Hibs away and he had to come in because Leon Balogun went off. He came in and the first action he had was pressing in midfield and he’s a serious physical presence.
“The next day I saw him at the training ground and I remembered that action and I told him, ‘That is what I want from you when you play for us’. He is fantastic. Bassey is a player who is at the beginning of his career, but also a player who is open to coaching.
“He wants to develop himself, and hopefully we can have him longer here because his development needs to be a couple of years more before he reaches the level that he will be comfortable to get into a new team. You never know what will happen. The potential Bassey has is massive, that is potential also other teams will notice he has.
“Calvin came in, he is very sharp, very energetic and happy here. I think it is good for him to keep going, and to give everything he has to this team, which he’s done really well so far.
“I had the same. I came here in 1998 after the World Cup and had three good years with Rangers, and then I moved on to Arsenal and to the Premier League. I think that is also a path that many players will take.
“If you see the squad, Joe Aribo played here for three years and we have reached a level now where I think he can reach another level, and be involved in the strongest league in the world. We have Glen Kamara as well, who is talented and came here.
“That is what you want and that is also what being a successful team in Scotland brings with it. I am more than happy to help Bassey in his development, and to make sure he comes to reach a level where everyone will say ‘Well, the best thing for him is to move on’.
“They are all winners. The club is a winner because we developed him and we will get a transfer fee. And the player as well, he will have a fantastic time here then move on.”
