Jordan Rossiter’s Rangers future has been up in the air for a while, but Steven Gerrard has thrown his backing behind him.
Speaking in the Evening Times, Gerrard trusts his former Liverpool team-mate to do a job when asked. This is despite the fact that the midfielder has been suffering constant injuries since arriving at Ibrox two years ago.
Rossiter started in the 4-1 win against Hamilton and impressed just about everyone with how confident and composed he was on the ball. His impressive performance has shot him into contention for Thursday night’s Europa League clash at home to Spartak Moscow.
In the meantime, however, Gerrard has been quick to shower his fellow Liverpudlian with praise for his display on Sunday.
“We had a bounce game behind closed doors and he was head and shoulders above most of those on the pitch.
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“I’ve said to the players behind the scenes you’ve got to fight for a shirt and earn the chance to play. So if I don’t back that up with my decisions the players won’t believe in me or trust me.
“So Jordan earned that [on Sunday] and I thought he was very strong for his first showing in such a long time. I was very pleased with him. He’s a bright kid. Tactically he’s very astute. I can trust him to go in and do a job if and when I need to.
“The key now is to really look after Jordan and get him out there as much as we can. He’s had a tough time so we’ll tailor his programme. We just want him available as much as we can from now to the end of the season.”
Taking his opportunity
There’s no denying that, given the situation Rossiter has been in recently, it was important that he grabbed his chance with both hands. The midfielder has suffered a series of set-backs in his Rangers career. Now, however, it looks like he’s finally on the road to redemption.
His start at the Hope CBD Stadium was a surprise to everyone, but his display was a reliable one. With Scott Arfield currently injured, there is a place up for grabs in the Rangers side. It’s not too far-fetched to think that Rossiter could be the one to grab it.
Considering Sunday was played on an astroturf surface, we didn’t think Rossiter would’ve been anywhere near ready. Both he and Gerrard proved us wrong, however, with a top performance.
Having the backing of the manager considering his previous injury concerns has to be a shot in the arm for the former Liverpool man. He’s the one man in the Rangers squad who deserves a slice of luck.
This is a Rangers side that’s evolving under Gerrard, and Rossiter won’t want to be left behind. He proved on Sunday however that he isn’t ready to start throwing in any towels just yet.