Breaking News:Former Rangers stars wonders if there’s enough winners at Ibrox to truly influence Clinton Nsiala
Gregory Vignal arrived at Liverpool as a 20-year-old French kid with zero first-team experience.
And after taking a whack off Patrik Berger on his first day he knew he’d arrived in British football. That Anfield initiation stood him in good stead when he turned up at Rangers on loan four years later. It helped him win a title and League Cup Double at Ibrox under Alex McLeish in 2004.
But Vignal knows how tough it can be for a young foreign player signing for a top club in the UK and that’s why he’d be keen to help Gers new boy Clinton Nsiala who has been snared from AC Milan this summer. The similarities are striking. Centre-back Nsiala is also 20 and has yet to play a competitive first-team game.
That was the same scenario for Vignal when he left Montpellier’s academy for Merseyside over two decades ago. He needed experienced pros at Liverpool to guide him and shape his mentality. And he would love Nsiala to get the same treatment at Rangers under boss Philippe Clement.
But Vignal isn’t sure there are enough winners in the changing room at Auchenhowie to have that sort of influence.
The 42-year-old, who worked as a coach at the club under Steven Gerrard, told MailSport : “I was also 20 when I arrived in the UK at Liverpool.
“It was something special for me as a young player. I had to get used to the size of the club and the expectations at Anfield. In my first training session, Patrik kicked me, twisting my ankle.”
“He said to me: ‘Gregory, welcome to England’. That’s true. I didn’t say anything to him. The next day, I made sure I kicked him and he shook my hand. After that, we became good friends. That was the message he wanted to send me right away. I remember it like it was yesterday.
“Will it be the same for Nsiala at Rangers now? I hope so. I’m just not sure if Rangers have the same type of characters in the squad, like I had at Liverpool. He will need experienced players to help him settle. But he needs winners around him. That’s what I had at Liverpool and it makes a big difference. When you have players pushing you, who have won trophies before – like McAllister with Leeds United – it makes a difference.
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