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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Sport
Will Lancaster

Todd Cantwell denies Celtic Reo Hatate watergate 'rivalry' as Rangers star insists he was 'polite'

Rangers midfielder Todd Cantwell has poured cold water over any suggestions that there was any malicious intent over his 'watergate' actions with Reo Hatate in the recent Scottish Cup semi-final.

Cantwell signed for Rangers from Norwich City in January after falling out of favour at Carrow Road, with the blonde-haired Englishman instantly becoming one of the first names on the team sheet under Michael Beale.

His performances and goals have seen him already become a fan favourite at Ibrox, with his volleyed winner against Aberdeen last week being a typical indicator of the influence he has already exerted in Govan. But it was his actions in last month's Old Firm clash that really set him into the Light Blues faithful's good books.

READ MORE: We simulated Rangers vs Celtic to get a score prediction as Nicolas Raskin plays key role at Ibrox

The 25-year-old was seen moving water away from Hatate as a playful jibe, with Celtic's Japanese star clearly confused by Cantwell's actions - something Rangers and Celtic fans picked up on. But the January signing has claimed he didn't mean anything malicious ahead of this Saturday's derby day showdown.

Cantwell: “I feel like you can’t really breathe wrongly up here and it makes the media.

“The way I look at it, if there was a player down and the physio had come on and I had gone over to Callum McGregor and asked for a drink of water, I can imagine what he would have said to me.

“I think I was quite polite, to be honest. It is a healthy rivalry between the clubs.

“They have come out on top this year, so I am in a position where I can’t really speak too much about things."

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