Rangers have been linked with both James Garner and Joey Veerman in recent weeks but who would be the better addition to Steven Gerrard's side at Ibrox this summer?

Joey Veerman

According to Dutch news outlet Voetbal, Rangers are one of the sides taking an interest in the SC Heerenveen midfielder ahead of the summer, as a result of his superb performances in the Eredivisie this season.

The 22-year-old has contributed seven goals and nine assists in the Dutch top-flight, averaging an excellent 7.47 rating, which ranks him as the sixth-best performer in the Netherlands so far this season.

He is expected to cost around £8.5m this summer, which would rank him as one of the Gers' most expensive ever signings according to Transfermarkt, although they could well have more money to spend this summer as a result of their return to the Champions League next season.

James Garner

Rangers were reportedly interested in signing the Manchester United youngster in January before his loan move to Nottingham Forest and, according to his agent Steven Beck, they are "really keen" on signing him ahead of next season.

The 20-year-old would likely arrive on loan, having excelled in the second half of the 2020/21 season with Forest, contributing three goals in 19 appearances and averaging a solid 6.93 rating.

Despite a more disappointing loan spell with Watford earlier in the season, their former manager Vladimir Ilic had a lot of praise for him, saying:

“He is one of the most talented players in England.

“Everybody knows a lot of things about him – he’s coming from a big club and from a big academy.

“He is a quality player with the ball, he knows how to move the ball fast and he thinks fast which is very important.”

Who would be better?

Although Veerman has arguably had the better season, he is perhaps out of Rangers' price range this summer, whereas Garner would represent a cheap option for Rangers if he were to join on loan.

The Englishman is clearly destined for big things, having been likened to former United maestro Michael Carrick, and he could realise that potential at Ibrox next season under the guidance of another one of England's great midfielders, Steven Gerrard.

The youngster is also more accustomed to the style of football on offer in the UK, which suggests that he might be a better fit than Veerman, who is extremely talented on the ball but might well struggle to cope with the physicality of the Scottish Premiership.

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Therefore, if a choice needs to be made, Ross Wilson should perhaps forget about signing Veerman this summer and instead focus on bringing Garner to Ibrox.

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