Philippe Clement backs Connor Barron to handle Aberdeen boo boys

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has full confidence Connor Barron can handle any flak on his return to Pittodrie, saying the midfielder is exceptionally mature for his age.

The 22-year-old came through the ranks at Aberdeen but left at the end of his contract last summer to move to Rangers.

That’s sure to mark him out for special attention from the Dons fans when the sides meet in the Granite City on Wednesday night, but Clement is certain that won’t distract one of his key players from giving his best.

“I have worked with a lot of young players in my career as a player and manager,” the Rangers boss said. “He’s one of the most mature that I’ve met at that age.

“It’ll be his first time, but I’m sure he’s ready for that and just focused on football.

“He’s only busy with football and his ambitions to become better and important for this club. So I don’t have any doubts about that.”

Rangers go into the clash six points behind the Dons and leaders Celtic, and Jimmy Thelin’s side are unbeaten so far this season. A win for Clement’s side would narrow the gap, while defeat would see them significantly adrift from the top two.

Despite the high stakes, Clement said his team’s focus was simple.

“It’s about us taking the points,” he said. “We need to take the points, we need to focus on that.

“We’re now, after this game, one-quarter of the season or something.

“Last season, we came back, we were in front, and at the end, you don’t get a title. So it’s about us taking the points and not looking at the others because you lose time and energy for nothing about that. It’s about us taking as many points as possible and to raise our levels.

“We have to win every game. We have to win the first game of the season and we have to win the last game of the season. So, there’s no difference in that. We always want to win every game.”

Nevertheless, the manager did admit that a statement win from his side would change the perception around his side after a difficult start to the season, though he insisted there was no lack of confidence or conviction within the building.

“All the team has confidence to get a good result, but also a lot of respect to what’s happening and what they’ve been doing in the beginning of the season,” Clement said. “And how they’ve played and how they took their points.

“So, it’s going to be a huge battle. Like they showed also against other good teams in the league that they played really well.

“I don’t speak about favourites before games, after games. I never do. I never said it about us also. It’s just about tomorrow. Who’s the best team? Or who’s the team who gets the points?

“We’re going to go full throttle to get the three points. That’s our mindset.”