Josh Windass admits that Steven Gerrard gave him a dressing down he’ll never forget after his impromptu exit from Rangers.
Windass, 31, left Rangers in Gerrard’s first season at Ibrox, jumping ship to Wigan Athletic after they activated the attacker’s £2.5m release clause.
Speaking to Open Goal, Josh Windass has revealed how he impulsively jumped in his car and headed south after Steven Gerrard told him of the Wigan interest.
It’s a moment which haunted the Sheffield Wednesday attacker for years, with Gerrard finally getting the chance to collar the attacker six months later.
Josh Windass opens on Steven Gerrard response Rangers exit
Steven Gerrard pulled Josh Windass off the Rangers team bus ahead of the trip to face Maribor in the Europa League back in 2018.
With Wigan having activated Windass’ clause, Rangers and Gerrard were obligated to inform the young forward.
But despite Gerrard being certain Windass would reject the offer, the attacker jumped in his car, headed down south and never looked back, not even discussing the situation with the Rangers manager.
“It was a bad decision but I just went straight down the motorway,” Windass explained.
“I don’t know (why). I just followed my gut at that moment in time and then a week later (I regretted it).
”We had a zoom call about six months later because I was going to go back on loan in January and Paul Cook wouldn’t let me go.
”Then Gerrard basically gave me what for on the Zoom call. Told me everything that was wrong with me and what I did and how I can improve as a person.
”He said ‘if we’re going to bring you back we need to have an honest conversation’ and I never went back anyway. That was it. It was a bad couple of weeks that.
Josh Windass Rangers exit haunted him for two years
Naturally, it’s a decision which had a seismic impact on Josh Windass’ career.
The attacker spent two years at Wigan and then eventually moved on to Sheffield Wednesday where he has played since 2020.
At the time, Windass claims that Michael Beale and even Allan McGregor were texting him asking him to reconsider the transfer.
It’s something that haunted for Windass for two years, with the attacker admitting he regretted leaving Rangers until the switch to Hillsborough.
”(I knew I’d made the wrong decision) after my first training session,” said Windass.
“Mick Beale was texting me saying ‘you’re making a big mistake’. I was 23. I was stupid. I just wanted a bigger wage.
”We were on the bus going to the hotel (to play Maribor). I was playing and then Daniel Candeias ended up starting instead.
”He pulled me into the Ibrox changing room and was basically like ‘I need to tell you but I don’t know why I’m telling you because you’re obviously not going to Wigan’. Even Greegsy was texting me.
”It was ages ago now so I’m not bothered about it now but for genuinely two years after it I was thinking about it every day.”
