Rangers captain James Tavernier has praised James Sands for putting in a good performance against Aberdeen last night.

The American international joined the Scottish champions on an eighteen-month loan deal from New York City FC (with an option to buy) at the beginning of January and he was given his first start at Pittodrie.

Tavernier said that Sands was put in at the deep end but he felt that the 21-year-old more than stood up to scrutiny:

“He has gelled in really quickly to the squad. It was obviously a big test for him but I thought he handled himself really well and he’s a player we can use in the future. He’s a great squad player to keep the levels high, especially when Joe is away at the minute, but that is the quality we are bringing in.”

While it wasn’t a spectacular debut, by any stretch of the imagination, Sands did do his job by protecting the backline and making sure his passes found a teammate.

He wasn’t overawed by the occasion, which is a good sign, considering he is still young and relatively inexperienced playing at the standard of the Scottish Premiership. A lot more will be required of him in the future but he got off to a solid start.