‘Aaron Ramsey WAS world class – but NEVER as good as Rangers legends like Gascoigne and Laudrup’ says Hartson
AS great as Gazza and lauded like Laudo.
Aaron Ramsey got a hero’s welcome by Rangers fans when he signed on transfer deadline day.
But John Hartson insists his fellow Welshman has NEVER been in the same class as legendary Ibrox players Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup.
The ex-Celtic striker worked with Ramsey as a coach with the Wales national team and knows how good a player he is.
But Harts reckons the fanfare that greeted his arrival on loan from Juventus was way OTT.
He said: “They had big hopes that he’d be their best signing since Laudrup and Gascoigne.
“Jeez! Laudrup and Gascoigne? They are superstars, the best players to ever come to Rangers.
“But that’s what some people were saying, that it was like Laudrup and Gascoigne. What? Do me a favour!
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“Laudrup and Gascoigne were a different level. Aaron has been a world-class player but he’s not in that elite. Not in that elite at all.
“Not because of his age or injuries. He was never at that level. We’re talking Brian Laudrup and we’re talking Gascoigne!”
Ramsey, 31, has been luckless since signing for Rangers. He started against Annan in the Scottish Cup but then picked up a calf knock against Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
As SunSport revealed last week, he’s so eager to return to action that he’s coughed up £30,000 of his own money to fly trusted physios to Glasgow for treatment.
Despite rumours, Gers paid no loan fee and the deal with Juve is costing them £25,000 a week.
But the midfielder, who was on the bench against Aberdeen at the weekend, is now itching to play.
Hartson added: “It’s just disappointing for him personally because I like Aaron. He is a good lad.
“I have watched him a lot for Wales over the last ten years. He was at his peak at the Euros in 2016 when Wales got to the semi-final.
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“It’s just not worked out for Rangers and it’s not worked out for Aaron.
“But I think, with all due respect, when he first came in everyone got too excited.
“He was going to kick on, he was going to help Rangers get over the line and retain the title.
“But it’s just not worked, unfortunately. They’ve not been able to get him up to speed to get him on the pitch.
“That’s disappointing for him because Aaron would have come to Scotland thinking he could resurrect his career here.
“That’s the reason Juventus sent him to Rangers, so he could get games and they could sell him.
“If he came and played ten games and did really well, there could be big interest around him and they could get rid of him.
“He’s obviously going to be sold or paid up. That’s the only reason they’ve let him out.
I would imagine he had other offers but chose Rangers, which was a great coup for the club.
“But it just hasn’t worked out for the club or for him.”
Hartson is amazed his old club Celtic are challenging for the title given the state they were in back in August.
He said: “At the start of the season, Celtic couldn’t win the league. Impossible. It was a mess that Ange Postecoglou took over.
“At the time, I said it was a transitional period.
“Look at it. They lost their centre-forward, their best player. They lost their best centre-half. They lost their captain. They didn’t have a manager and the chief executive also left.
“And the team were just like, ‘What do we do now?’.
“They brought in Ange and nobody had ever heard of him. No disrespect, but people were asking, ‘Who is this guy?’.
“Even I did. I said I thought they should be going for somebody with more of a name.
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“It was total ignorance from me, but I wasn’t the only one.
“There were plenty of us that were ignorant, even the press. Who is this guy? What’s he done? Where’s he been?
“But he’s come in and done unbelievably. The players he has recruited, the style of football.
“He has united the entire stadium from being very toxic for periods last season. The way that they play, the Celtic way, front foot, aggressive, go forward, score goals.
“To think that they are the position they are in and they can possibly win the league is just remarkable.”
Asked where the achievement would rank if Celtic did win the league come May 15, Hartson added: “There have been some fantastic titles won.
“Look at Celtic in ’98, when they stopped Rangers winning the ten.
“Look at Steven Gerrard last season. Extraordinary really, from where Rangers were. That was an unbelievable feat from Gerrard and the players. They really got together last year. They didn’t concede many goals. Was it 13 in the whole league campaign? That stands right up there.
“And this one will be remarkable from what Ange took over.
“He didn’t have a player. A couple of weeks ago, Celtic had only two players on the pitch — Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor, I think — who weren’t his signings. Think of the impact his signings have made.
“They bring a young lad over from Benfica on loan. What a player Jota is.
“Look at Liel Abada. Fourteen goals he has got from right wing. Incredible.
“Look at Kyogo and the other Japanese lads.
“And then Joe Hart. They wrote Hart off before he had even made a save!
“Anthony Ralston has been excellent. Carl Starfelt has come in for a bit of criticism and I still think there have been frailties defensively at times, but it’s the way they play.
“It’s expansive, aggressive. They outscore the opposition. They are on the front foot, high intensity. That’s what Ange demands from players every single game and those demands won’t stop.
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“Somebody just said to me will Celtic be thinking of the Treble? Maybe they are.”
JOHN HARTSON was promoting exclusively live Premier Sports coverage of Dundee v Rangers this Sunday from 3.30pm and Dundee United v Celtic this Monday from 7.15pm. Premier Sports is available on Sky, Virgin TV and Premier Player from £12.99 per month and on Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page