Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Steven Gerrard that he thought that Leon Balogun was outstanding as the centre-back made his Rangers debut on the opening day of the new campaign.
Balogun joined the Gers towards the end of the last month as Gerrard looked to bolster his defensive ranks.
And despite having Filip Helander and George Edmundson available, Gerrard decided to hand the former Brighton man a full debut at Aberdeen.
It proved to be a positive day for Balogun. Rangers kept a clean sheet as Ryan Kent’s goal gave them a well-deserved 1-0 win at Pittodrie.
Balogun looked confident on the ball and produced some fantastic runs out of the backline. It is certainly fair to say that the Nigeria international and Connor Goldson rarely looked troubled.
And following the game, Gerrard suggested he could not be happier with what he saw from the 32-year-old.
“Outstanding,” . “He’s been in the door six days, this is probably one of the toughest away games on your debut. You’re only getting used to knowing the players.
“But we’d seen and what we’d seen prior, we had trust in him. But he went out and put out a performance. He deserves all the plaudits that come his way. I thought he was outstanding.”
TBR View: Balogun staked claim for regular spot
Gerrard could not quite settle on a regular centre-back pairing last season. Injury played its part with Helander performing well before being sidelined, but there were also times when there were concerns about some of the performances on show.
Balogun’s display arguably saw the defender stake a claim for a regular spot alongside Goldson.
Aberdeen struggled to ask many questions of the Rangers backline. But the early signs hint that Balogun has the potential to be an inspired signing for the Gers this season.