Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Ben Banks

John Souttar and the bruising Celtic mistake that has beefed up star's Rangers 'mentality' ahead of Beale's rebuild

It was a moment he will regret - but former coach Simon Donnelly insists an error against Celtic has only made John Souttar's mindset at Rangers sharper.

The defender bounced back from an injury-hit start to the season with a run of eight straight matches in the Premiership, having made one start before that stretch, but the first in that sequence was a sobering experience. A casual backpass by Souttar put Jota in to score Celtic's third of the day and that 3-2 defeat all but ended any Rangers hopes of a dramatic title comeback.

Former Hoops player Donnelly coached the centre-back during his time as Dundee United assistant manager, and knows that the mentality he has developed in moments of adversity is a huge strength which could prove key as boss Michael Beale revamps the Ibrox squad. He told Clyde Superscoreboard: "I think John will go on to become a really successful player at Rangers. I worked with him closely in the early stages of his career and he has got the mentality. Nothing shows that more than the mistake he made at Celtic Park.

"It didn't affect him and went on to score against Rangers in the next league game. I think he has the right mentality to play at a club the size of Rangers and there's no question of his ability.

"He is back in the Scotland set-up so a strong finish for him and if he stays away from injury, he will play for Rangers. I felt for John but he has bounced back and that is where I think he will be a success as he's mentally strong."

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.