Turkey boss Stefan Kuntz has promised Ridvan Yilmaz he will come to Scotland to watch him when fit - as he labelled Giovanni van Bronckhorst as a 'great coach'.
Rangers shelled out a big money fee to bring the full-back to Ibrox this summer from Besiktas. Game-time was very limited in the opening months of his Light Blues career as he continued to settle into life on and off the pitch. He was handed his chance and impressed in a defeat to Napoli in the Champions League before being selected to face Aberdeen, but was forced off injured in the opening exchanges.
It was a frustrating blow for the defender, who looked set to try and put his stamp on the left-back position with his injury ruling him out until after the World Cup. Injuries have been major at Rangers this season, especially in the defensive areas with Connor Goldson, John Souttar and Filip Helander all out while Ben Davies has been struggling with knocks.
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But in a major boost, Yilmaz has been told by his national team boss he will come over to watch him once fully fit and up and running once again. He's picked up six caps to date for his country and will be desperate to add to his haul and play regular first-team football at Ibrox.
Kuntz said: “For Yilmaz it was first about getting over the emotion of leaving Besiktas who are one of the biggest clubs in Turkey.
“But I saw Rangers in the Europa League final against Frankfurt, so I was thinking this would be a good decision for Ridvan’s development.
“He has a great team and support around him, but also a great coach as well.
“So I’m really sad he’s injured and that this development stage has stopped for some weeks.
“If I’m right he has to stop until the end of the year, then it will take some more time.
“But after that I will definitely come to Scotland to watch him.”
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