Malik Tillman has had a fairly good loan period with Scottish Premiership side Rangers FC and it could be one that goes on for the long term as talk of remaining with the team permanently starts to surface.
The Light Blues struggled prior to the World Cup, which ultimately led to the firing of head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but the 20-year-old Bayern Munich loanee has left some fans impressed with his performances on the field. From his game-winning header in August to help Rangers progress in the Champions League qualifiers to his wondrous solo goal to inspire them to a win over Motherwell in October, he has shown the potential to become a quality attacking midfielder.
Following his two assists performance in the team’s come-from-behind 3-2 win over Hibernian last Friday, new head coach Michael Beale will be bullish on keeping Tillman at Ibrox Stadium for the long term. He’s already projected that the young man could be their own Michael Ballack, which would be a great complement to the young U.S. men’s national team.
The German-American has come a long way in a short span of time since playing with Bayern’s second team in the 3. Liga and Regionalliga the past few seasons. From the looks of it, he seems quite happy in Glasgow as he has the opportunity to play first-team games regularly.
Speaking with the Daily Record, Tillman talked about his time at Rangers over the past few months so far and his future.
“There have been some ups and downs but I always try and give my best and keep improving the whole time,” he said. “I came here to play as many games as I can. I love the club and everything around it, so we will see what will happen in the summer.”
With the depth at the attacking midfielder position for Bayern Munich giving him very little chance to earn playing time, Tillman may find himself getting more attention than from Rangers if he continues to impress in the second half of the season.
