- Tillman open to Bayern return
- USMNT starlet shining on loan with Rangers
- Scottish giants have an option to buy
WHAT HAPPENED? Tillman joined Rangers on loan from Bayern Munich for the season as the young American moved to Scotland in search of first-team experience. He's certainly found it, becoming a mainstay for the Scottish giants while scoring seven goals and providing four assists.
Although Rangers have an option to buy Tillman, the midfielder left the door open with regard to his club future as he says he could imagine returning to Bayern.
WHAT THEY SAID: “I just want to play as much as possible. To me, it’s relatively unimportant where that is," Tillman told Kicker.
“I feel comfortable here. In fact, very comfortable. I bring my performances which I think Rangers are really happy with. But I could also imagine the same with the people at Bayern. So... we’ll see.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Tillman added that Bayern have been monitoring his progress in Scotland, with the club's staff keeping a close eye on the midfielder's development. Rangers, though, are expected to exercise their option to buy Tillman for a fee of around £6 million ($7.24m).
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GettyDID YOU KNOW? Tillman recently went vital for a controversial incident against Partick Thistle which saw the American international at the center of a mild melee.
Tillman stole the ball off of a Thistle defender as they prepared to give the ball back after an injury, allowing him an easy finish to give Rangers the lead. After a brawl between the two sides that saw Thistle's defense go after Tillman, Rangers allowed the opposition to score.
“We let them make it 2-2 and, for me, it had then been cleared up and we still won the game fairly," he said. “But I wanted nothing more to do with these players because when they all came running towards me, in human terms, they didn’t deal with the situation correctly. That is, in terms of what was said.“
WHAT NEXT FOR TILLMAN? Rangers are set to face Livingston on Saturday as they look to make up ground on Celtic, who maintain a nine-point lead atop the Scottish Premiership.