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For Rangers’ £4 million man, the writing was on the wall only one game into the new season.
As Philippe Clement’s side struggled to a 0-0 draw with Hearts at Tynecastle, the sight of Ben Davies being thrown around like a ragdoll by makeshift centre-forward Kenneth Vargas was a concerning one to say the least.
The Scottish game is notoriously physical.
And for all of Davies’ qualities in possession – a lovely left foot aiding the build up in a possession-based system – you will have to bare your defensive teeth now and again and that is where the former Liverpool man was frequently found wanting.
Lee McCulloch, the former Rangers skipper, felt that Davies had ‘massive problems’ up against the speed and power of Vargas in Edinburgh.
And it was telling that the 29-year-old did not feature for the club in Premiership action again after being hauled off on the hour mark in early August, left out of the squad entirely in those wins over Motherwell and Ross County.
Ben Davies leaves Rangers for Birmingham City
Davies joined ambitious Birmingham City on loan this week.
And Andy Halliday, the one-time Gers midfielder, is not surprised to see Clement move on from a man who fell behind John Souttar, Leon Balogun and £1.5 million summer recruit Robin Propper in the pecking order.
“Having watched him a few times, I just think he lacks the physicality for the Scottish game, I really do,” Halliday tells the Open Goal podcast on YouTube.
“Even watching him against Hearts on the opening day, Kenneth Vargas – and he’s not even a striker – he’s nudging him off the ball.
“Listen, he’s a nice football player. When the game is nice for Rangers, he plays well. But every time it’s a sort of physical game or it’s close, I don’t think he’s performed well.
“So I thought that was an obvious one (to let him go).
“Rangers defend on the halfway line for 80 per cent of the game and he’s not really quick. He’s been caught out a couple times already this season with balls in behind.
“Overall, I don’t think he suits Rangers.”
Philippe Clement looks short at the back
Halliday is urging Rangers to bring in a replacement – Clement now has only three first-choice natural centre-halves after Connor Goldson left too – but he is impressed by the way Souttar and the veteran Balogun have performed in Davies’ absence.
“Even Balogun, coming in at 36, you’re thinking he’s a level up (from Davies),” adds the now-Motherwell man. “I think John Souttar has done really well in the last couple of games.
“I thought against (Dynamo) Kyiv he was excellent and then Ross County at the weekend.”
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