Rangers star's Celtic display branded 'worst rated' of any Premiership player this season in brutal derby verdict

John Lundstram’s disastrous Old Firm performance against Celtic is the ‘worst rated’ of any player in the Scottish Premiership this season, it has been confirmed.

The Rangers midfielder - who is expected to leave the club once his contract expires this summer with a move to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor on the cards - endured a miserable afternoon at Parkhead on Saturday.

Lundstram was already the villain of the match among his own fan base after scoring an own goal in the first-half, but he could well have played his last game for the club after being sent off for scything down Hoops defender Alistair Johnston midway inside the hosts’ half just before half-time.

The 30-year-old came charging in on Johnston as he looked to intercept a short pass, but caught the Canadian right-back high on the ankle after failing to win the ball. On initial viewing, referee Willie Collum deemed the tackle a yellow card before he was called over to the pitchside VAR monitor by fellow officials Steven McLean.

After reviewing a couple of different angles of the incident, Collum upgraded his on-field decision to a red, which Sky Sports co-commentator Kenny Miller disagreed with. But it was Lundstram’s overall display during the opening 45 minutes that made for particularly grim reading.

Data provided by WhoScored.com has revealed the former Sheffield United man made NO key passes, tackles or interceptions. He committed two fouls including one that led to his dismissal, and was dispossessed on one occasion, leading to an overall performance rating of just 4.48.

The decision to send Lundstram off proved a hot topic of debate post-match, with gutted Rangers boss Philippe Clement refusing to blame the player for his costly mistake. Pundit Michael Stewart explained why it was “understandable” that Lundstram made the tackle, but declared there “is question it’s a red card”.

Speaking from the BBC Scotland studio after watching several replays of the challenge, he said: “Tom (English) was saying it’s a ludicrous tackle to make and I understand that train of thought. But equally you’ve got to understand the context of the game.

“Rangers have just got themselves back to 2-1, there is a short pass there to Alistair Johnston. The ball is almost there to go and be won. If Lundstram gets the ball then all off a sudden you get the feeling within the Rangers team of they’re right up on top of this here.

“So I don’t think it’s a clear one where you can castigate John Lundstram for going for the tackle, but it really is an all or nothing. As we’ve seen, if you don’t get it and win the ball, you run the risk of a red card. Looking back with 20/20 vision of hindsight you’d say it’s a silly thing to do, but understandable in the moment to make that tackle. There is no question it’s a red card, absolutely no question.”