Philippe Clement claims under-fire skipper James Tavernier is motivated “to get the love back” at Rangers after the criticism which followed the 3-0 defeat by Celtic before the international break.
The Gers defender, his team-mates and the Light Blues boss left supporters far from happy after Rangers dropped five points behind their Old Firm rivals in the William Hill Premiership at Parkhead and one fan appeared to confront the long-serving right-back as he left Ibrox to get to his car after the game.
“We talked about that because it’s not a nice thing,” said Clement, while revealing that Brazilian striker Danilo is out for “four weeks” with a medial ligament injury which also meant he was omitted from Rangers’ Europa League squad.
“If you’re a captain, you’re a symbol of a team. And people see you that way.
“I had the same experiences before in Club Brugge and I was there 10 years, like Tav.
“In the moments when it’s really good, it’s really nice to be captain. And in moments when the team doesn’t perform and you don’t reach the expectations of the fans at that moment, you’re the first one that they talk to or that they yelp at.
“I had these moments also in my career. It’s part of being captain.
“And I have to say he takes it in a really mature way. And he’s very motivated to get really good results in the next couple of months and to get the love back of everybody in the club.
“The love from a lot of people still there. But some people were very, very disappointed after the Celtic game and we can understand because we were also.
“It’s never a nice moment to lose against your rivals. And for sure not with a 3-0.
“I understand the frustration. We had the same frustration and the anger inside of us.
“I’ve been now 10-12 days longer in Glasgow since and I met a lot of fans who reacted in a totally different way and were very positive and supporting the team and the club.
“Is it a nice thing? Is it a good thing? Is it a thing you love? No, totally not. But it’s a world we live in.”
Ahead of the trip to Dundee United on Sunday, Clement confirmed there had been “no offers” for Tavernier, contrary to reports of interest from clubs in Turkey.
He said: “He’s been the player in Scotland and for me, in all my career, who made so many transfers without anything (happening). That’s for sure.
“In eight months, I’ve never seen a player making so many transfers because I read so many times that he was going to go there, there and there and there. And he’s still here.
“He never came to my office and said I want to go and there was never an offer in that way towards the club. So let’s not talk too much about rumours.”
On Danilo, who has been unlucky with injuries since joining Rangers from Feyenoord in July 2023, Clement said: “Dani was the really unlucky one. He did a sprint, he slipped in a really bad way.
“We first thought it would be cruciate ligament to be honest. Luckily it’s not the case.
“It’s his medial ligament. And the doctor said also that he was really lucky because of all the exercises he did before, the knee is so strong that it compensated a lot.
“But he will be out for at least four weeks and because we know already that he’s out for his first game in Europe and also with his history. I want to bring him back in a good way.
“So that’s first with league games. You cannot put him in directly into European games after his injury. He’s not ready for that.”
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