Barry Ferguson says Leon King should be spared harsh criticism in the wake of Rangers leaving the Champions League against Ajax.
The Light Blues' exited Group A with a whimper and 3-1 loss against the Dutch giants as 18-year-old defender King moved out the way of Steven Berghuis' opener while he deflected the second into his own net in a major learning curve. His name has been linked with the likes of Manchester United recently and Ferguson doesn't believe he deserves the stick, alongside makeshift centre-back partner James Sands.
Despite a poor run leading to Rangers gaining a tag as the 'worst-ever' Champions League side with a goal difference of -20 and six straight defeats against Napoli, Liverpool and Ajax, King will have learned plenty. Ferguson wrote in his Daily Record column: "One thing that did disappoint me was the criticism young King took afterwards. Could he have done better at a couple of the goals? Yes.
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"But did he do as well as any 18-year-old centre back thrust into that level of competition time and again over the campaign could have hoped to do? Definitely.
"This lad could have been learning his trade in the Lowland League with the Rangers B team this season. Instead, he has been thrown in against some of the best strikers in the world and he didn’t shirk from it.
"Leon has a massive future at Rangers. The experience he has gained in an otherwise dismal campaign will be a great benefit to him and to the club."
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