Coaches Back Edu In Playing Time Struggle

Rangers gaffer Walter Smith has offered a vote of confidence to midfielder Maurice Edu, the young US international who has been used sparingly since moving to the Ibrox this past summer in a $5 million transfer. In a recent interview, Smith pointed to young players like Edu and Kyle Lafferty as the club’s future, telling them that the playing time will come once they have adjusted to their new surroundings.

“I felt we had to bring in a few younger players and it always takes a little bit of time for them to settle in,” said Smith, whose club lies five points back of Celtic. “Lafferty and Edu will play a big part for Rangers in the coming years, I’ve no doubt about that. But it does take them a little time to settle and at Rangers you have to have experienced players around you as well. People’s expectations of the younger ones should not be the same as those on the experienced players.”

Edu, the first-overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, has seen just 64 minutes of play since signing for Rangers in August, a dent in the momentum that he had been building in MLS and with the US Men’s National Team. Since receiving his first cap in a friendly victory of Switzerland in October 2007, Edu has been capped a total of 10 times with the senior team, and also represented the United States admirably at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, leading former USMNT coach Bruce Arena to publicly call for more playing time for Edu in the Scottish Premier League.

“Maurice is a player who can step up to that kind of pressure and do well,” said Arena. “If Walter feels comfortable that he can place Maurice on the field, then, within no more than a couple of games, Maurice will show the qualities that he has. I’m sure he is a player who can help Rangers in their current situation.

“Rangers have paid good money for him and that is another reason why he probably needs to play more,” preached Arena. “The club has made an investment, so the quicker they can bring him on, the better it is for everyone. But Walter is a very experienced manager and my view is that he will make a good decision in this situation.”