'Huge bonus' for van Bronckhorst over 'Rangers' best defender' | OneFootball

Rangers ace Filip Helander has been hailed as the club’s ‘best defender’ and handed Ibrox boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst ‘a huge bonus’ following his return to the fold, according to the Herald and Glasgow Times’ senior Gers reporter Chris Jack.

Helander has endured a season to forget so far, having missed the vast majority of the campaign through injury, but he is back in contention for regular minutes as the Glasgow giants look to secure back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles.

What’s the latest news involving Helander?

Helander returned to the bench for Rangers’ 1-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday, having missed their last two Scottish Premiership clashes.

The central defender, who joined in a £3.5million deal from Italian side Bologna more than two-and-a-half years ago, was stretchered off during a clash with St Johnstone in September and then-Gers boss Steven Gerrard revealed Helander would be out of action for the foreseeable future after undergoing knee surgery.

During his period of rehabilitation, Helander saw Gerrard depart Ibrox in favour of taking over at Premier League side Aston Villa and van Bronckhorst move into the hot seat.

Helander marked his first appearance under the Dutchman by scoring in the Scottish Cup win over Annan Athletic last month.

However, he struggled upon his return to Scottish Premiership action as the 18-cap Sweden international was handed a match rating of just 6.2 by WhoScored, the second-lowest among his team-mates, for the draw with Dundee United.

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What has Chris Jack said about Helander?

Following that setback against Dundee United, Helander was not named in the matchday squad for Rangers’ clashes with Motherwell and St Johnstone before returning to contention against Aberdeen at the weekend.

Although the 28-year-old did not make it off the substitutes’ bench, Jack believes Helander’s return from injury could prove vital in the Gers’ title push.

“Having him back, in general, is a huge bonus for Rangers. He is vastly experienced and knows what it’s all about.

“He is arguably Rangers’ best defender in terms of his positional sense and his decision making.”

Why could Helander’s return prove to be invaluable for Rangers?

Helander was heavily involved as Rangers ended their decade-long wait to win back the Scottish Premiership crown.

The 6 ft 4 star’s influence could play a key role as van Bronckhorst looks to mark his return to Ibrox by securing back-to-back titles.

Rangers are currently three points adrift of arch-rivals Celtic in the race for bragging rights, but next month’s Old Firm derby could be crucial as the Gers look to overturn that statistic.