'Surprising' - Sky Sports pundit alarmed by Rangers star's fall under Clement after what happened today

Dujon Sterling’s fall down the pecking order under Philippe Clement has alarmed Kris Boyd after what happened against Hibernian.

The Sky Sports pundit questioned the former Chelsea defender’s place in the squad at half time of the Light Blues’ 1-0 win at Ibrox, as it emerged starter Nico Raskin was set to be replaced for the second period by Kieran Dowell.

The Belgian came into the XI alongside Connor Barron in midfield as Mohamed Diomande dropped out, while James Tavernier has started every game at Sterling’s natural right back spot, and Sterling has largely lost out.

Boyd said (1.08pm): “The Dowell for Raskin one’s a bit surprising. Sterling’s went from starting and everybody [saying] ‘Get him in that team’, to now all of a sudden Raskin’s starting ahead of him, Dowell’s coming on now as well.

“So where does that leave Sterling?”

Sterling eventually came off the bench on 68 minutes to replace Vaclav Cerny.

Nico Raskin and Kieran Dowell jump ahead for Rangers?

Sterling seems to have been left adrift to an extent this season despite being one of the leading lights for Clement last term.

The general expectation this season was that he would take over from Tavernier at right-back [Rangers Review, 17 June], with the captain heavily linked with a move away and a bid coming in from Trabzonspor [Sky Sports, 24 July].

Despite a rough start to the campaign and further late links to an exit after he was targeted for abuse after the Celtic defeat the skipper ultimately shunned Turkish moves [HITC, 12 September] and has remained ever-present at the back for Clement.

Sterling featured all over the line-up amid injury crises last season but arguably established himself the most in central midfield, and yet the arrival Barron has pushed him down the order there.

Sterling, 24, has made 10 appearances this term but started only four, with just two coming in the Scottish Premiership, as he appears to be suffering from not being fully established in any one spot.

His form off the bench hasn’t been anywhere near where it was for much of the previous campaign, where he would have had a shout at being the best player behind Jack Butland.

Raskin himself has gone through something of a regression since Michael Beale left, while injuries have played their part, but if Dowell has actually moved ahead of Sterling in the midfield it should set alarm bells ringing for the latter.

The former Norwich man made a surprise start as a wide attacker at Dundee United on 15 September, but has largely been one of the more underwhelming signings in recent years.

Clement may have been rotating for fitness but the Hibs result was hardly a given and Sterling hasn’t been overloaded himself, so something appears to have gone amiss for him in recent weeks.

In other Rangers news, the Light Blues have left pundits baffled by not moving to sign a star sensation.

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