Barry Ferguson rung the changes as Rangers put their focus on Athletic Club in the Scottish Premiership clash with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Ferguson made nine changes to the Rangers team that held the Basque outfit to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Europa League quarter final.
Whilst ten-man Rangers would rescue a late draw against Aberdeen, Ferguson admitted after the match that he was handing an opportunity to several who’d ‘chapped on his door’.
But when the final whistle went in the nation’s northeast, there remain major questions about a £14m Rangers trio who are yet to really make their mark in Scotland.
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Barry Ferguson hands several players Rangers ‘opportunity’ v Aberdeen
Barry Ferguson claims that he had earmarked the trip to Aberdeen to give opportunities to several fringe players in the Rangers squad.
The interim Rangers manager claims that injuries sustained in the Europa League clash with Athletic Club also forced him into changes.
With several players being handed opportunities, Ferguson admitted that the fact Ross McCausland had been sent off changed things come half-time.
“I always had it in my mind because people have been chapping my door and asking me for an opportunity,” Ferguson said. “They got an opportunity today.
“It wasn’t ideal when you go out to ten men, it doesn’t suit some players. So then I have to make the changes to get midfielders in who are kind of used to being behind the ball.
“I had it in my mind that I was going to make a few changes, some were enforced obviously after suffering a few injuries on Thursday night, but that’s the reason why you carry a squad.
“That’s the reason why I wanted to give some players the opportunity. It wasn’t a case of coming up here and this was a dead game. It wasn’t a dead game in my mind.
“It was coming up to Aberdeen and we know what it’s like up here. I was coming up here to win and unfortunately, we didn’t get that three points.”
Jury remains out on £14m Rangers trio with everything to prove at Ibrox
Three players who have found chances hard to come by at Rangers recently are Danilo, Oscar Cortes and Nedim Bajrami.
The trio represents some of Rangers’ most substantial recent transfer outlays, with Danilo costing £6m from Feyenoord, Oscar Cortes set to complete a £4.5m transfer in the summer and Nedim Bajrami a £3.4m signing from Sassuolo in the summer (£13.9m in total).
All three were handed a start against Aberdeen but struggled to take their chance with Danilo and Oscar Cortes both hooked at half-time.
Nedim Bajrami lasted a little longer, until the 68th minute, but was replaced by eventual Pittodrie hero Ianis Hagi, who curled in a late Rangers equaliser v Aberdeen.
The situation of all three players brings into question Rangers’ recent transfer business as the Ibrox side look ahead to yet another summer of substantial change.
For the guts of £14m, Rangers fans were expecting a lot more from all three players and time is running out to convince Gers fans they can have an impact in Glasgow.
