Former Rangers flop fires dig towards Scottish defenders as he insists ‘they’re just big and wide’
CEDRIC ITTEN insists Scottish football is a completely different game from other leagues in Europe.
The Swiss striker joined the Ibrox club from St Gallen under Steven Gerrard in 2020 but returned to his homeland last summer after scoring just six goals during his time in Scotland.
He featured 33 times for Rangers but only eight of them were starts.
The Light Blues recouped £1.5million for his services when Young Boys came calling last year and he has since reborn in his homeland, having netted 18 times and assisted 11 in 33 matches.
He is just one goal behind team-mate Jean-Pierre Nsame in the race for the top flight's Golden Boot, but reckons he would never have hit the same numbers in Scotland.
He still has nightmares about the physicality of some of the players he faced in the Premiership but admits most of them lacked skill and claims they were just "big and wide".
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In an interview in Switzerland, he recalled: "From a sporting point of view, looking back, the defenders in Scotland were the biggest change for me.
"In Scotland, the trash talk is extreme.
"I was really shocked because of the words that were used. But my teammates just laughed about it and said 'that wasn't even a bad insult...the real insults are still to come!'
"The defenders there might not be technically gifted, they are just big and wide.
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"A duel between players in Scotland cannot be compared to Germany or Switzerland. I remember a situation where I dribbled past two opponents, but the third player knocked me off my feet. But instead of giving a penalty, the referee allowed play to continue.”
Itten knew he had to leave Rangers when Alfredo Morelos remained at the club.
He feared that his lack of game time in Scotland would jeopardise his place in the national team.
Itten has since been recalled into the Swiss setup following his form with Young Boys.
He said: "Contrary to expectations, Alfredo Morelos did not move clubs, so I knew I had to do something.
"I had to play, otherwise I would jeopardise my place in the national team, so I decided to switch to the Bundesliga on loan at short notice.
"The mood was not great at Greuther Furth because we lost every week. Then when I returned to Rangers, I suffered from a mysterious infection. The doctors initially found no explanation and suspected that it was the aftermath of Covid.
"I felt weak and tired for weeks. I lost over ten pounds because I could only eat soup and had no appetite. You have a lot of thoughts running through your head, but giving up was never an option.
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"But I have certainly been reborn as a player at Young Boys."
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