Muff 245 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 MO JOHNSTON has backed Mo Edu to become a sensation at Ibrox after playing his part in securing a $5million move over the weekend. There is still some bureaucracy to overcome as Rangers need to secure a work permit for 22-year-old American star Edu and a tribunal will make a decision on that next week. However, once that hurdle is overcome Toronto FC's Director of Football Johnston is convinced that the kid he drafted from college will be a major player for Rangers this season. The former Rangers striker said: "I am quite sure that Mo will be a huge success at Rangers. "He is a very good player already but he is still learning and he will learn from great coaches at Rangers. "He is easily the best young player in the States right now and I have no doubts that he will do really well at Rangers." Johnston, while head coach at Toronto, drafted Edu from Maryland College last year and the defensive midfielder was voted Rookie of the Year in his first season for the club. Rangers approached Johnston for recommendations on players and he had no hesitation in picking out California-born Edu. Walter Smith made initial inquires at the end of last season and then stepped these up after having Edu watched at the Olympics where he represented the USA. Negotiations were then opened up with Major League Soccer, who own the rights to all players in the league, and a deal was concluded. Edu then flew in to Glasgow and watched Saturday's Hearts game, then signed a five-year contract - subject to work permit - before jetting back across the Atlantic to join the USA's full squad for Wednesday's World Cup tie in Guatemala. Johnston added: "It was all a bit of a whirlwind. It's a great move for Mo and Rangers but it certainly leaves us with a big hole in our midfield. "We picked him up from Maryland in the draft last year and he was a top player for us last season, winning the Rookie of the Year award. "There was a lot of interest from other clubs but Rangers managed to get the deal done with MLS. "They own the rights but we get a portion of the money. "He can play right back and centre back as well as defensive midfield. "I noticed that Rangers had signed Pedro Mendes and I think that Mo can be the perfect foil for him. "He is a big lad and he takes no prisoners. He is a strong player and he can break up the play really well. "I have no doubts that Walter will get the best out of him." http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Ne...1369887,00.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boab 73 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Superb. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 He can play right back, centre back and midfield. Hmmmmmmm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLUWDC 1 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 :bouncy: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy WATP 86 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 He can play right back, centre back and midfield. Hmmmmmmm. A perfect Smith signing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 Never knew about RB but knew he could play CB or DM. Rather he played in his preferred position, DM! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaD CoW 3 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Not another player that can play numerous positions! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlippinEck 3,737 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Very much like essien then Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasileBoliSoup 9 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 The tribunal is not till next week Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott-RFC 308 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Very much like essien then Hehe beat me to it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
californiadreamin52 339 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Might be a chance to see him play if he gets picked for USA v GUATEMALA believe it kicks off 3am GMT on thursday Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andypendek Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Probably break his leg, knowing our luck with new signings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny 9 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Very much like essien then Who's completely crap at RB. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Probably break his leg, knowing our luck with new signings. Your positivity is rubbing off on me. I'm away to kill myself :gallows: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andypendek Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Piss off! Everyone needs a moan now and then. I'm lightweight compared to the Meldrews on this board. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadaready 9,437 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Maryland University...not college....noobs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trueblue1872 2 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Like i said in another thread. I wouldn't be surprised to see this lad getting played at RB if we sign another CB. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfc_no1fan 13 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 He'll learn to play the Scottish game by playing right back and or centre back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemensKrauss 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Maryland - for cookies only. Mizuno got a work permit, so only a corrupt and partial system will deny Edu the same courtesy. Ahem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron2110 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I remember Gattuso played right back for us, he wasn't too bad at it.. lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATPRFCNo1 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Id like to see him at RB really, hes a better pick than Whittaker and certainly a better pick than Broadfoot. _______________McGregor_______________ Edu_____Bougherra____(NEW CB)____Papac Beasley____KT/Davis___Mendes___Bresciano _____________Aaron____________________ _____________________Lafferty___________ what a fecking improvement that would be from last season eh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebell11 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 He can play right back, centre back and midfield. Hmmmmmmm. If you have a quick look at his website he say's he played CB to cover for injury.Always nice to have a player like that especially in the Scottish league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlippinEck 3,737 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 He's very leggy. Like most Americans breaking through, he's exceptionally athletic and pretty huge. He could perhaps fill out a bit, but I'm sure that will happen quickly in Glasgow. Edu is a defensive midfielders. He sits deep in the park and soaks up pressure then plays the simple ball. You won't see much flashy from him when it comes to passing, but he's got very sleek ball control. He's very composed on the ball, especially for his age (he's about 22 I think). In the Olympics, our coaching staff decided to play him at center back. We've never had very clever managers; this one brought a grand total of 4 natural defenders. However, Edu looked decent back there and outshone Parkhurst who is hands down the best defender in MLS. His size helped, but he generally kept things tight and made the right moves. He had a 10 minute spell at the very end of the Japan game in which he fell apart and committed a penalty offense (thank some deity for shitty refs, right?) and in general made silly decisions. That spell aside, most of us were delightfully surprised by how well he took the change of position. If Rangers needed it, he could probably help out back there, but it's not going to bring the best out of him. Edu has also broken into the full NT of late. We play with two defensive midfielders, one spot is taken by Michael Bradley, and the other has seen a rotation of Edu, Pablo Mastroeni, Ricardo Clark, and Benny Feilhaber. Given Mastroeni's age and Feilhaber's club form (can't start for Derby), I like Edu out of those choices. It's unclear to me if Edu will get that work permit on the first ask, but he will surely be starting a bunch of matches for the USA in his career. MLS Fan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trueblue1872 2 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 penalty offense So American It's a mystery where he will play tbh. I really can't see him replacing Thomson. Only time i can think of him playing is when we are playing a defensive 4-5-1 against the Tims or away in the league. Unless walter plays him at RB or CH? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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