Barry Ferguson hails Rangers’ Dan Neil transfer but stays silent on nephew Lewis

Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson has spoken glowingly about the club’s summer transfer business, singling out midfielder Dan Neil for particular praise, while making clear he will not be commenting on speculation linking his nephew Lewis Ferguson with a move to Ibrox.

Writing in his Daily Record column, Ferguson said he was aware of the widespread talk surrounding Lewis, who plays for Bologna and Scotland, but insisted it was not his place to weigh in on the matter. He said he would love to see his nephew wear a Rangers jersey at some point in his career but stressed that Lewis was “his own man” who would make the right decisions for himself.

Neil praised as standout addition

Ferguson said Rangers appeared to have made five good acquisitions during the current window, but reserved his warmest words for Dan Neil, who has joined the club from Sunderland. He explained his long-standing connection to the Wearside club, having watched matches at Roker Park as a boy while his brother Derek played there, and revealed he had followed Neil’s progress closely as a result.

According to Ferguson, Neil is a “born-and-bred Sunderland fan” who rose through the club’s academy and captained the side at just 22 or 23 as they pushed for promotion to the Premier League. He said he had watched the midfielder “15 or 20 times” and been consistently impressed, not only by his footballing ability but by his demanding, vocal presence on the pitch.

Ferguson noted that Neil had helped Sunderland win promotion but was surprised he did not feature regularly in the Premier League, pointing to the club’s signing of Granit Xhaka in a similar role as a factor. Neil subsequently moved to Ipswich for the second half of last season before his switch to Rangers.

McCrorie, Pandur and Godfrey also assessed

The former Rangers midfielder also gave his verdict on the club’s other new arrivals. He said Ross McCrorie appeared to have matured during spells away at Aberdeen and Bristol City, having previously been “a work in progress” during his first stint at Ibrox.

Ferguson said he had seen goalkeeper Ivo Pandur play several times for Hull City, describing the Croatia international as looking “the part” despite admitting he had not watched him enough to offer a full assessment. He also referenced Ben Godfrey, who was highly rated at Everton a few years ago before his career “stalled a wee bit” through injury problems.

Ferguson added that Lawrence Shankland’s arrival in the striking department was something he had been calling for since the previous summer. He said it was reasonable to expect Shankland and McCrorie to settle in quickly given their familiarity with Scottish football and, in Shankland’s case, his support for the club, while suggesting the overseas and English-based arrivals would take a little longer to adapt.

Manager McInnes overseeing rebuild

Ferguson said it was positive that manager Derek McInnes had been able to bring in fresh faces early in pre-season, allowing them time to settle into their new surroundings. He acknowledged that a major turnover of players every summer was not ideal for a club’s stability, but said circumstances following how last season ended after the league split had made further changes necessary.

He concluded that five signings was a reasonable number at this stage of the window, while suggesting the manager may look to add further to the squad before the season gets under way.