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Giovanni van Bronckhorst reckons Calvin Bassey is destined for the top – but insists it’s not the right time for the Nigerian defender to leave Rangers.
Megasportsarena.com reports that Bassey 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.
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 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’.
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