'Astonishing' - Pundit questions if exit-linked man's heart is at Rangers after what she saw

Leanne Crichton has been left questioning if James Tavernier’s heart is still in Rangers after an “astonishing” incident in the clash with Hearts.

Philippe Clement’s side got their Premiership campaign underway at Tynecastle last Saturday (3 August), but could only manage a bore draw as fans and pundits alike were left frustrated by the display.

While Tavernier had a reasonable game, he was spotted throwing his arms around having lost possession in the match and Go Radio pundit Crichton believed that showed a “personality change” in the skipper.

Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show (9 August, 1:05:20) he said: “Looking at the Hearts game, I would struggle to think of a captain in men’s and women’s football that 10 years into that role at a club would have the same body language and reaction that Tavernier showed to losing the ball.

“I found it astonishing how negative he was. I look at players like Roy Keane example, or Callum McGregor or back in the 90s when I’m watching Neil Lennon or Barry Ferguson, that would never have been the response.

“He looks to be like there’s a personality change there right now and I don’t know if his heart looks as if it’s in Glasgow now.”

Will James Tavernier exit Rangers amid transfer speculation?

Tavernier has always insisted that his focus remains firmly on this season at Ibrox, but the speculation around his future must have got to him over the summer whether he admits it or not.

Reports had suggested that Turkish club Trabzonspor were eager to take him away from Glasgow this summer and they were even understood to have made multiple approaches for his signature [Rangers Review, 23 July].

For whatever reason, that move hasn’t happened and at this moment in time, it seems unlikely to. That doesn’t mean that Tavernier won’t depart before the end of August as things can change quickly in the transfer window.

As Crichton suggests, the 32-year-old hasn’t been playing in a manner that fans would expect from a captain of an Old Firm team.

He was better against Dynamo Kyiv and that display showed that he still has something to offer in a Rangers shirt, but that’s the sort of performance supporters need to be seeing week in and week out to know his heart is in Glasgow.

In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has shared a new Clement sack verdict after recent developments at Ibrox this summer

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