Jake Hastie has spoken to iFollow Millers for the first time, having secured a move to Rotherham from Rangers.
The 20-year-old winger has joined on a season-long loan in a bid to get more first-team football than he would have been granted at Ibrox.
This is an established model for the Gers in terms of the development of talented younger players, with Greg Docherty spending last season at Shrewsbury Town and Ross McCrorie joining Portsmouth earlier this summer.
Rangers winger Hastie on Gerrard’s parting words
“The Gaffer did speak to me up there,” Hastie told iFollow Millers. “He says just come down here and do what I do and get as many games in as possible and just keep working hard.”
Verdict
This move shows a change of approach from the manager towards the young winger.
After all, in June, he rubbished suggestions that Hastie would be allowed to leave on loan, instead insisting that he would have enough opportunities to shine at Ibrox [Daily Record].
Yet, over the early part of the 2019/20 campaign, it became clear that wouldn’t be the case. Hastie made just two appearances for the Gers.
The first of those was a start against minnows St Joseph’s at Ibrox in a first-round Europa League qualifier. The second was as a substitute against East Fife in the League Cup.
Since then, he’s been out of the picture and he even turned out for the Development XI in the Glasgow Cup last week.
Now though, his chances of playing regular football should increase. Rotherham have had a mixed start to the League One campaign, with seven points from four matches, but will be aiming to bounce straight back to the Championship, following last season’s relegation.
If he can prove his ability to score and assist goals in the EFL, his stock will soon rise in Gerrard’s eyes.
