Todd Cantwell reveals the brutal Rangers ‘ego’ lesson from Philippe Clement after THAT substitution indignity

Rangers star Todd Cantwell has vowed to continue parking his ego as he seeks to make a title-winning contribution to the greater good at Ibrox.

The Gers playmaker suffered the indignity of being hauled off by boss Philippe Clement just 36 minutes into November’s Europa League draw with Cypriot minnows Aris Limassol. It was a decision which threatened to blow apart the pair’s relationship had it not been handled correctly. Thankfully for the Light Blues, the big Belgian picked his words wisely and side-stepped a nasty fall-out.

His careful handling led to a marked upturn in Cantwell’s performance levels. And Rangers are going to need their midfield maverick to show his selfless side again on Sunday, when all hands will be required on deck if Clement’s side are to sink title rivals Celtic at Ibrox. But Cantwell is determined to play his part in a team effort.

Asked to look back on the Aris controversy, he said: “Yeah, definitely it was a tough moment. No player wants to be that player [that is taken off early]. Listen, me and the manager have had a lot of conversations and I have got a lot of respect for the manager. I think he is a good person as well as a good manager.

“For me personally, in football you have to hide your ego a little bit sometimes and you have to understand that things aren’t always done for your best interest, it is the club’s best interest. I think we have got a manager on our hands who cares very, very much about the club.

“I would like to think I do have a good attitude. The club is always more important than any individual, I believe that. It is probably more important here than at most clubs.

“For me, it is being at the right end of the trophies at the end of the season. For me, that would be a good season.”

Clement made his shock decision to drag his talisman off before half-time after claiming Cantwell had ignored orders to stay wide having been asked to cover an unfamiliar role on the right wing. Since then, though, the former Norwich attacker has been restored to his more natural slot through the middle, vindicating that move with a string of impressive displays.

The 26-year-old responded to his red-face moment against Aris with five goals and two assists before a hamstring injury ruled him out for a month. But he was back in the starting line-up for the first time on Saturday to play a key role as he teed up Cyriel Dessers’ goal in a vital 3-1 win over Hibs.

“I won’t go into what the manager and I said but we had a very honest conversation and it was a very respectful conversation,” he explained. “I think it has been very positive on the pitch and off the pitch. Yeah, me and the manager are in a really good place.

“Has he made me a better player? I think you could argue that. It is definitely a different No10 role to the No10 role I was playing under Michael Beale.

“But, listen, as a footballer, you have to be able to adapt and you have to bring different parts of your game. That is something the manager has really homed in on with me.”