Jon Flanagan has spoken out about his time at Rangers and plans for the future, as quoted by the Scottish Herald.
The ex-Liverpool player arrived at Ibrox on a free in the summer.
Initially, he found himself being deployed regularly at left-back. Mainly as cover for the injury-plagued Borna Barisic.
However, he looked short on confidence and sharpness and frequently came in for criticism.
A poor outing against Aberdeen back in December seemed to be the final straw for Gerrard. He hooked Flanagan at half-time and he didn’t start another game until Wednesday evening’s win over Hearts, with both Barisic and Andy Halliday unavailable.
However, the 26-year-old insists he’s not done yet at Ibrox.
“I’m 100 percent behind the manager”, said Flanagan, as quoted by the Scottish Herald.
“I want to be here, I want to be a part of it. I want to get a new contract and be here for many years.
“I’m 100 percent wanting this. It’s been tough being out of it, everyone wants to play every game. But it’s not going to be possible. We’ve got a big squad with everyone fighting for places. But when called upon you’ve just got to perform well and try and stay in the team.
“I’ve spoken to the manager many times and he’s just said to keep going, keep working hard and wait for your opportunity.”
Verdict
Clearly, it’s encouraging that just like Jermain Defoe [The Scotsman], another recent signing is excited with where the club is going.
However, you would be hard pushed to find someone to argue that Flanagan’s time has been successful.
He initially signed a two-year deal, one that he and the club are likely to observe. After all, he’s unlikely to be hitting the wage bill too hard and he may be called into action occasionally.
Yet, a new contract is a little far fetched. He’s started just two matches so far in 2019 and is far from a guaranteed member of matchday squads right now.
