Umar Sadiq’s Rangers performances have impressed nobody, but should Rangers truly let him go back to Roma?
His starting debut against Aberdeen ended in a day to forget. Supporters were fuming with the big Nigerian for his own individual display, and many don’t want him seen at Ibrox again.
We feel that a lot of that has to do with the result overall, and not just Sadiq’s individual display. His performance was soured by a late dive when he could’ve tucked it past Joe Lewis, but he’s a player lacking in confidence.
The performance that Sadiq put in as an individual was nowhere near as bad as is being made out. Added to that, however, he also isn’t good enough to warrant being anything other than a third-choice striker.
Only on rare occasions should Rangers be looking to use Sadiq. That’s one reason why there’s no point in sending him back to Roma. He’s not as bad as was made out, but will hardly feature in Steven Gerrard’s one-striker system.
A thankless role
What we have to ask ourselves is who would come to Ibrox to play third-fiddle to Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty? There wouldn’t exactly be a queue of quality players down Edmiston Drive.
There’s no denying Rangers probably could find a better quality striker to be third choice. If it costs money, however, is it a risk worth taking? As mentioned previously, Sadiq will play next to no more games at Ibrox. A rare appearance here and there isn’t likely to hurt Gerrard’s chances of glory this season.
Sadiq did show some good ability in the clash with Aberdeen. In the first half in particular, he held the ball up extremely well. The real frustration points were the moments he continuously got flagged for offside. If he could improve the timing of his runs, however, surely he would be able to score a few goals for Rangers.
We’re not saying he should be signed up permanently, or even be kept on in any stage beyond the summer. But if Gerrard is looking to shell out money for another third striker, then why bother?
Sadiq will barely be used, but when he plays he’s shown he won’t be as ineffective as some believe.
