Barry Ferguson could hardly have walked back into Rangers in more difficult circumstances.
Without a single domestic trophy to aim at and with very little to play for back home in Scotland, the Europa League represents Rangers’ only shot of making a success out of a largely miserable campaign.
Barry Ferguson faces the challenge of beating Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce over two legs – starting with Thursday night’s first in Istanbul – and it’s fair to say that will be easier said than done.
This is a Fenerbahce side full of European experience. Filip Kostic, Dusan Tadic and Edin Dzeko to name but three. John Souttar could make his Rangers return in Turkey but stopping Youssef En-Nesyri – the two-time Europa League winner who has scored 26 goals this season – will provide a fierce test of the Scot’s fitness.
Ferguson is sweating on the availability of Souttar and Leon Balogun ahead of the 5:45pm kick-off. If neither player is fit enough to start, the interim manager may have to rely upon the increasingly unreliable Robin Propper while again utilising James Tavernier at centre-half.
The noise coming out of Turkey, meanwhile, is that former Besiktas full-back Ridvan Yilmaz may be a weak link capable of exploiting even if he has impressed when playing on the right-hand side of late.
- READ MORE: Rangers Europa League Record Since 2017
Vaclav Cerny and Ianis Hagi could both leave Rangers this summer
Jim Duffy, the former Dundee, Hibernian and Greenock Morton manager, feels that Ferguson has another challenge which must be overcome.
Vaclav Cerny and Ianis Hagi have been two of Rangers’ stand-out performers so far in 2025. But with the former only on loan from Wolfsburg – Rangers will struggle to buy Cerny permanently unless the San Francisco 49ers arrive in time – while Hagi is due to become a free-agent in July.
“It is difficult. You have got Cerny, who is on loan, and Hagi is out of contract. You have got several [debates] of whether players are good enough,” Duffy argues.
“Rangers have only got this tournament left now. When players are on loan, I just think its natural for them to think; ‘Well, there’s no real targets for me apart form getting back to my parent club’. They also know there are new owners coming in, a new manager.
“Would they want them? I would think highly unlikely with the likes of Cerny because a new manager is going to come in and he’s thinking; ‘Well, I am going to want my own players in’.”
Contract situation could be a distraction at Rangers
In Cerny’s defence, the Czech Republic international does not appear to be a footballer lacking in motivation right now. He took his tally to 15 for the season on Ferguson’s managerial debut in the 4-2 comeback win over Kilmarnock.
Yet, Vaclav Cerny admitted that he could pursue ‘other options’ should they open up to him.
Ianis Hagi would not be drawn on the prospect of return to Turkey when asked during his pre-match press conference, meanwhile. Yet, the Istanbul-born Romanian has been linked with Europa League rivals Fenerbahce.
This, then, may be something of an audition for him under the watchful eye of Mourinho.
“This is an opportunity to send players back, to let Hagi go, to clear the decks and release some funds.
These players probably know that. Rangers probably know that,” adds Duffy.
“So it does take the edge off. There is a number of players – Balogun is another one – where you’re thinking they will probably get released just by default.
“It is difficult to have that desire and the total commitment the Rangers fans are looking for, and its difficult for Barry Ferguson to extract every ounce of energy out of these players.”
