As quoted by the Daily Record, Motherwell striker Chris Long has claimed he could have become a Rangers player back in 2015.
The 24-year-old ex-Everton academy star is likely to turn out for ‘Well at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon but says he could have been running out for the home side.
Long joined Motherwell in the summer after a tumultuous few years in England.
Since 2014, he’s been on five loan spells and had permanent contracts with four clubs. Before making the switch to Scotland, he was plying his trade for Blackpool, for whom he scored twice in 17 league matches.
“Rangers were in for me after I’d helped Brentford reach the play-offs under Mark [Warburton],” he said, as quoted by the Daily Record. “But Burnley had been relegated to the Championship and I had scored goals at that level before under Warburton – so I chose to go there.”
“It didn’t work out for me there, however, and I feel like I’m starting again at Motherwell.
“It would have been great to play in front of 50,000 fans at Ibrox as a Rangers player. Davie Weir and Warburton both spoke to me and wanted me up there. But that’s all in the past.”
Verdict
There must be a tinge of regret for Long when he looks back at his decision to join Sean Dyche at Burnley over heading to Glasgow.
The £450k-rated attacker [Transfermarkt] made just 10 league appearances for the Turf Moor outfit between 2015 and 2018 and was shipped out on loan stints to Fleetwood Town, Bolton Wanderers and Northampton Town before being released.
So far this season, he hasn’t set the Scottish Premiership alight, scoring just twice in victories over Hamilton and St Mirren [Soccerbase].
For now, the former England youth international looks an unfulfilled talent, but his threat will still need to be dealt with by the Gers back four this afternoon.
Here’s our Predicted XI for the clash at Ibrox, as Rangers seek to get back to winning ways in the Premiership.
