Philippe Clement responds to Rangers fan boos over sub as he says 'they don't know everything'

Philippe Clement has defended his decision to sub Connor Barron despite the furious reaction from Rangers fans.

A large section of the Ibrox crowd were up in arms at the decision to withdraw the ex-Aberdeen midfielder for Dujon Sterling with more than 20 minutes still on the clock. Gers were holding onto a slender one-goal lead at the time after Cyriel Dessers' first-half opener. And they reacted angrily when Barron's number was put up on the board, with various sections of the stadium booing the substitution.

Clement heard the jeers loud and clear and when asked about the fans' frustrations, Clement insisted he was protecting the Scotland international as he adapts to playing more regular minutes following his summer move from Pittodrie, where he wasn't a mainstay.

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Smiling as he explained his reasons, Clement told Premier Sports: "They don't know everything, of course. I'm very pleased about Connor and what he's doing now. In this game and the games before, he's been massive.

"But it's also about managing players who are getting tired who have never played so many minutes in their career at this level. It's managing Connor also in that way. The fans will be less pleased if we get an injury because he played too much or too long. So, no. I understand that fans don't know all the facts."