In an interview with RangersTV, Steven Gerrard has clarified the reasoning behind a surprise substitution during Sunday’s clash with Hibernian
At the half-time interval, Ryan Kent was replaced by Daniel Candeias.
The Liverpool loanee wasn’t at his sharpest in the first half, but it seemed unlikely the manager would withdraw one of his star players purely for tactical reasons.
Thinking along those lines, some Bears were confused and hoping he hadn’t picked up an injury.
Mercifully, with an Old Firm next weekend, it wasn’t that.
However, the news was still concerning.
“Ryan is ill,”
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“He was vomiting in the bathroom at half-time. I don’t think he felt great throughout the first half, either, so it just made sense to make a change.”
That certainly accounts for his unusually subdued first-half showing.
Clearly, the manager won’t know the severity of the illness for a while, so he wasn’t in a position to comment further.
From his perspective though, he’ll be desperate to have Kent back available to face Celtic.
The 22-year-old scored in the last meeting at Parkhead and was superb in the 1-0 win at Ibrox earlier in the season.
His potency down the left could be key if the Gers are to repeat that feat next Sunday.
