Ex-Rangers boss admits signing a replacement for Super Eagles no. 10 would be a difficult task

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish has admitted that it would be difficult for the Light Blues to sign a like-for-like replacement for Joe Aribo amid speculation linking the Super Eagles number 10 with a departure from the Scottish champions in the summer transfer window.

Allnigeriasoccer.com broke the news last July that Aribo was attracting concrete interest from the Premier League and this website was also first to report in December that he's not interested in extending his contract which runs out in the summer of 2023.

The Light Blues may be forced to cash in when the transfer window reopens rather than lose him on a free transfer when his contract expires.

Signed from a League One club in 2019, the former Charlton Athletic starlet now has experience under his belt with appearances in the Scottish top-flight, Europa League, Champions League qualifiers and Africa Cup of Nations.

McLeish has suggested that Rangers may be looking to replace Aribo with a young creative midfielder if the Nigerian departs the club.

"Do they have anybody up their sleeve that they could bring in to continually improve the team? On the horizon, a player that’s creative at a young age, for instance," McLeish said to Football Insider.

"If they’re looking for a new kid on the block, they’re not readily there. Aribo, when he came to Rangers, he didn’t have a lot of experience.

"Now he’s got tonnes of experience, playing in Europe, playing in a massively pressured situation against Celtic. That has given him a lot of experience and you see the player he’s turned into."