Connor Barron tipped to handle heat on Aberdeen return as Rangers boss Clement reveals talk with ‘mature’ midfielder

Philippe Clement has backed mature Connor Barron to handle the searing Pittodrie fire.

The former Aberdeen midfielder is set for a hot reception when he returns to his former club on Wednesday night. Barron left the Granite City for Ibrox in the summer and he’s set for a hostile return. However, Clement inists the midfielder and his entire squad will cope with the flak and said: “I worked with a lot of young players in my career.

“As a player and as a manager, he’s one of the most mature that I’ve met at that age. So, it will be for him the first time like that, but I’m sure he’s ready for that and he’s just focused on football. That’s his strong point also. He’s only busy with football and with his ambitions to become better and become important for this club. So, I don’t have any doubts about that.

“We have one boy in the building who was there before with Connor. We also have several players who played there before. We have other new ones, so it’s my task also and I did speak about circumstances and the way a team will perform, how they will play against us. So, yeah, they know.”

Clement expects a gruelling encounter and says his side are refusing to think of title markers at this point. He said: “A big battle. A team who plays really physical football with fast transitions using their speed in front. A very collective team with a very good team mentality.

“So in that way, not so much differences with what it was last season when we went there. It was quite similar in that way, but in another formation with some other players also. Rangers can cut the gap to the Reds, but Clement continued: “We’re not busy with that, because like you say, it’s early in the season.

“It’s about us taking the points. We need to take the