Glasgow Rangers suffered yet another setback yesterday in their pursuit of the Scottish Premiership title, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side losing 2-1 to a St Johnstone team who managed to take advantage of the lack of composure from the Ibrox side.

This result puts the Light Blues seven points behind their old rivals and with just two league matches to go before the World Cup, the Ibrox faithful will be glad for a break.

A few of Van Bronckhorst’s men will be in Qatar representing their nations on the grandest stage of all, amongst them potentially being James Sands and Borna Barisic. However, Malik Tillman should also be on the plane to the tournament, joining Sands in the USA squad.

Tillman could shine

The 20-year-old already has four caps for his country since making his debut in June against Morocco and a loan move to Rangers has given him an opportunity to gain more time on the pitch in a bid to stake his claim for a pot on the plane.

The attacking midfielder has featured 21 times for the club this season, chipping in with six-goal contributions - three goals and three assists - while showing glimpses of his wonderful talent.

He is, of course, raw and this can sometimes hold him back in matches where the opposition has set up a low block, but with experience, his creative juices will be flowing and he can embrace these challenges.

This is the USA’s first World Cup since 2014 and there is a lot of talent within their squad. They are in a favourable group and Tillman could definitely shine on the world stage that’s for sure.

John Lundstram described him as “phenomenal” while also saying “his talent is one of the best I’ve seen” following the 4-1 victory over Aberdeen and there is no doubt he is destined for the top.

The £13k-per-week forward has already featured for the Bayern Munich first team on seven occasions, scoring once and Julian Nagelsmann will surely be keeping a close watch on his performances this term while on loan at the Gers.

The World Cup has opened the door for a plethora of young talents in the past, namely Paul Pogba - a man who scored in the final back in 2018. Coincidentally, that's a player the American is aspiring to replicate, with his imposing 6 foot 2 frame already lending himself to future comparisons.

Should Tillman do well in Qatar, then he could finally begin to stride towards that goal. Whether he does or not, only time will tell.