Following Rangers’ mid-season friendly victory over Lokomotiv Tashkent, Steven Gerrard spoke of his disappointment that some fringe players didn’t take the chance to impress [Rangers TV].
Then, after Friday evening’s rusty win over minnows Stranraer in the Scottish Cup, he made similar comments [BBC Sport].
Exactly who he was referring to was unclear, and it was more difficult to decipher as very few in Light Blue put in genuinely strong displays.
However, based on the squad selection against St Mirren at Ibrox on Wednesday night, it seems Brandon Barker is one of those the Rangers manager is fed up with.
Plenty of changes were made as the Gers switched from Cup to Premiership duty, with players like Nathan Patterson, George Edmundson and Jordan Jones dropping to the bench.
However, despite getting a 25 minute run out in the Fourth Round, Barker was nowhere to be seen.
It looks to be a signal of dissatisfaction with the 23-year-old’s performances, given that he had become a regular in matchday squads in the run-up to the winter break.
His exclusion makes sense with a quick consultation of his numbers, though.
In 426 minutes spread across 11 appearances, Barker has scored a solitary goal and is yet to register an assist [Transfermarkt].
That strike came as a substitute on his league debut against Livingston and unfortunately, since then, he’s offered very little in terms of attacking threat.
The winger has struggled to beat defenders, to provide chances for his teammates and more generally, to impose himself on games whilst in a Rangers shirt.
It’s still relatively early doors yet, considering the Englishman penned a three-year contract in the summer.
The transformation of Borna Barisic is evidence that it can be unwise to write players off straight away.
However, at this stage, the signs aren’t good and if the St Mirren squad selection is anything to go by, Barker will find his playing opportunities limited over the coming weeks.
