Back in December, everything Ryan Hardie touched, seemed to go into the back of the net.
The 21-year-old Gers striker was positively flying whilst on loan at Livingston.
He scored five times in five starts that month, including an impressive brace against Hearts.
A standout performer in the Scottish top flight, he looked on course to force his way into the reckoning at Ibrox for 2019-20.
Yet, things look a lot different right now.
In January, Steven Gerrard whisked Hardie away from the Tony Macaroni, to attend Rangers’ mid-season training camp in Tenerife.
Shortly afterwards, he penned a one-year contract extension at Ibrox.
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Since returning to Livi, though, he has failed to find the net.
That’s a barren spell of seven top flight matches.
What’s more, his position in the starting lineup is no longer secure. The arrival of Chris Erskine from Partick Thistle in January, has provided competition in forward areas.
It’s a battle young Hardie is currently losing, with his last two appearances coming from the bench.
Unfortunately, the trials and tribulations of 2019 are slowly undoing much of his good work from earlier in the season.
He’s proven that he can score goals. However, he hasn’t shown that he can sustain form at this level.
Between now and the end of the season, he needs to force his way back into the starting XI.
Ending this campaign on a high, would wrest back some momentum ahead of his return to Ibrox over the summer.
