The 54-year-old is known for his fearsome opinions and has Russell Martin’s side in their cross hairs
Cocky Marc Degryse reckons rebuilding Brugge have nothing to worry about in Russell Martin’s Rangers as he reckons his compatriots have one foot already in the Champions League proper.
The 54-year-old is known for his fearsome opinions and in his weekly column for a Belgian newspaper he has dismissed the chances of the Ibrox side being able to live with a club who reached the last 16 last season after famously dumping out Atalanta in the playoff round.
Martin‘s side have survived some heavy weather in wins over Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen but now stand 180 minutes from only their second appearance in the Champions League proper in the past 15 seasons with a £40m golden ticket there to be grabbed.
But big-talking Degryse – who turned down Celtic in the 1990s over wage demands – couldn’t resist sticking the boot into Martin’s men. He told HLN: “Club Brugge lost Jutglà, De Cuyper, Talbi, and Jashari this summer. Ordóñez and Tzolis could potentially be added to that list. If that happens, that would be half a team. All of them were top players last season.
“So far, Brugge has done well. Things have been going well this season, and Nicky Hayen is fortunate that some of his substitutions have paid off. Rangers shouldn’t be a stumbling block either. But when the serious work starts in September, there’s no escaping this squad.
“The club absolutely needs to bring in reinforcements. Over €100 million has been invested. I think the board shouldn’t just focus on young, forward-thinking players; they also need some experienced players who can be deployed immediately.”
Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
We’re also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
