Nathan Patterson was linked with a summer return to Rangers after starting for Scotland against Morocco at the World Cup on Friday night. Scotland lost 1-0, and he stayed on for 89 minutes despite winning zero tackles.
Rangers Track James Tavernier Cover
The link has sharpened because Rangers are keeping tabs on Patterson while they look for a replacement for James Tavernier. That puts the move in a simple frame: one right-back spot is open to competition, and Patterson is being measured against that need rather than treated as a nostalgic return.
There is also a route to more than one change at right-back. The report says two new right-backs could arrive, with Hampus Skoglund described as the ideal candidate. In that setup, Patterson is not being discussed as a standalone fix; he is part of a wider reshaping of the position.
X Reaction To Patterson
The reaction on X was blunt. Every Rangers fan quoted in the discussion said Patterson should not be back at Ibrox next summer, with one writing, "Tonight should at the very least settle the argument that Nathan Patterson and Lewis Ferguson are not quality players and don’t belong in a Rangers top."
Others were just as direct. "Patterson was terrible." one user posted, while another said, "I agree regarding Patterson (not being good enough for Rangers)." The comments kept coming after Scotland against Morocco, and they turned the transfer link into a public verdict on his current level.
That is the pressure around this story now. Patterson is at Everton, he is with Scotland at the World Cup, and the chatter around Merseyside suggests a summer move could follow the tournament, but the fan response has pushed back hard against a return to Ibrox.
Everton, Merseyside, And Summer
His situation sits between two clubs and one summer window. Everton is where he is struggling, Rangers is where the link points, and Scotland against Morocco was the latest evidence used by supporters to argue against a reunion.
So the question is not whether Patterson can be discussed again. It is whether Rangers will treat him as part of the answer at right-back or leave the summer search to other options, with his Morocco performance now sitting right at the center of that call.
