The defender has been linked with a Rangers return as a potential successor to James Tavernier
Everton right back Nathan Patterson could ‘reignite’ his career by returning to Rangers, according to former Manchester City striker Paul Dickov.
The 24-year old has struggled for minutes at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, having only made three Premier League starts all season. A loan switch to Sevilla was in the offing in January for the Scotland international, whose place in Steve Clarke’s squad is at risk given his lack of minutes, however this never came to fruition.
Before Everton, Patterson made his name at Ibrox, where he was a more than capable backup to captain James Tavernier for three years. He made the Merseyside switch in January 2021 for a deal in the region of £11m. Now that the skipper has announced he’ll be leaving the club at the end of the season, Dickov believes Patterson could be a natural replacement and that the familiar ‘surroundings’ of Glasgow can help his career get back on track.
Gers move can ‘reignite’ Patterson’s career
The former Scotland international told Record Sport: “Nathan Patterson is at the age where you have to be playing football. "He’s had some unfortunate injuries, but now that he’s back, he needs game time. There’s no doubting his ability, he’s a top young defender, and a move back to Rangers would be good for him. If he’s available, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of clubs interested in him. But I think a move back to Rangers where he’s comfortable and in surroundings he knows, could reignite his career.”
The defender has had an unfortunate record in the treatment room throughout his career. He was set to represent Scotland at Euro 2024 but suffered a severe hamstring injury prior to the tournament that ruled him out. Fast forward a few years, he is now hoping to part of Steve Clarke’s World Cup squad next month as he looks to build on his 25 caps in USA, Canada and Mexico.
Patterson on lack of minutes
As his bad luck continues, Patterson suffered a plantar fascia tear in his foot earlier in the season, however even though he’s now fully fit, he still hasn’t been able to break into Toffees boss David Moyes’ starting XI. Centre back by trade Jake O’Brien has often been deployed at right back ahead of him, while veteran defender Seamus Coleman has more minutes under his belt that the Scotsman.
Speaking in March, Patterson explained that he and Moyes were to discuss his future amid his game-time frustrations. He said: “I know I’m fully fit and ready to play. Hopefully I can get some minutes. Obviously you want to play as much as you can but it's not really up to me, I can only do what I can on the pitch. That’s a discussion for myself and the manager to have [on his future]."
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