“It looked like he wasn’t trying” - pundit fumes over ‘unacceptable’ Rangers player in Liverpool defeat

Former Rangers striker Neil McCann has singled out one player in particular for heavy criticism following last night’s defeat to Liverpool.

The three time Scottish Premiership winner fumed over the performance of midfielder Malik Tillman on BBC Radio Scotland in a conversation transcribed by HITC.

McCann, who currently works as a pundit but was previously manager of Scottish Championship sides Dundee and Inverness CT, said the American international “looked like he wasn’t trying” as the hosts strolled to a fairly comfortable victory over the Glasgow club.

“Tillman, at times, was shocking,” fumed McCann.

“I can forgive him for having bad touches. I can forgive him for making wrong decisions or passes. But I can’t forgive him for not trying. At times tonight, it looked like he wasn’t trying. He has shown that already this season.

“I said he could be one of the players of the season and I think he has the ability to show he is a top player. But you can’t just walk around the park and turn it on when you feel like it. That is unacceptable.”

Tillman is currently on loan from German giants Bayern Munich and has been a regular in the Gers’ first team since his summer arrival.

The highlight of the 20-year old’s time at Ibrox came in the 3-0 Champions League qualifying win over Union St Gilloise where he scored the third goal of the match with a superb header to help Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side progress to the next qualifying stage.

He followed that up with another goal in his next match, a 4-0 Scottish Premiership victory over St Johnstone at Ibrox, but has yet to find the back of the net since - going goalless in his last 11 Rangers’ appearances in all competitions.

The 20-year old made four first team appearances for Bayern Munich last season before heading out on loan and has been capped four times at senior level by the United States of America.

He was included in Gregg Berhalter’s squad for their recent friendlies with Japan and Saudi Arabia in September and will be hopeful of securing a spot in the side for the FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar later this year.