On Wednesday afternoon, as captured by RangersTV, Steven Gerrard dropped a hint that he could be about to make a significant U-turn regarding Jamie Murphy.
The 30-year-old winger hasn’t made a competitive first-team appearance for Rangers since August 2018 [Soccerbase].
Back then, he sustained serious knee ligament damage against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and was unable to return to action before the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
An encouraging level of involvement in pre-season suggested things were likely to improve this time around.
A fit-again Murph turned out for both the Development team and the first-team, in order to get as much playing time as possible, but he found himself frozen out once the season began.
A little over a month ago, the manager questioned whether or not the ex-Brighton star was good enough to compete for a starting spot. Furthermore, he suggested his best option would be to head out on loan to prove himself once more [Daily Record].
It seems circumstances have now conspired to improve his chances considerably, though.
Steven Gerrard suggests Rangers return on cards for Murphy
“He’s showing signs that he’s getting close”, said Gerrard, as captured by RangersTV. “So, it wouldn’t surprise me if you did see him in the coming weeks.”
“We might have to accelerate pushing him along because of the injuries to Jordan Jones and Ryan Kent, but I’m sure Murph is champing at the bit. He’s waited a long time for a comeback game.”
Verdict
Should Murphy make it back into the first team over the next few matches, it would represent a remarkable turnaround.
The player seemingly opted to stay at Ibrox and continue to press his case, despite the manager offering him the chance to head elsewhere on loan.
The Deadline Day return of Ryan Kent had looked disastrous for his chances, but the mounting injuries on the left flank have provided him with a real sniff.
Brandon Barker scored and impressed against Livingston on Saturday, but it seems that having near written him off a month ago, Gerrard is now poised to throw the Scotland international back into the mix, too.
