Steven Gerrard has given his opinion on Ovie Ejaria’s decision to leave Rangers, and has stated that he disagrees with the youngster’s choice to depart.
As we all know, Ejaria departed Ibrox last week after becoming unsettled in Glasgow.
The Liverpool loanee had plenty of trust from the Rangers manager. Even before Christmas, the youngster had made a terrific 28 appearances. Despite that, he only scored two goals and bagged one assist, showing a lack of quality in the final third.
And Gerrard has called Ejaria out on his decision to leave the club. Speaking after the 1-0 win over Hamilton yesterday, the Rangers manager stated that it wasn’t the right decision.
“Am I disappointed he’s gone? Yes.
“Do I think it’s the right decision? No, because I think he had an incredible opportunity here.
“But I’m never going to stand in a player’s way who is not happy and who is not settled because I have people who are desperate to wear the shirt and who would run through brick walls to wear it.”
Certainly a dig at Ejaria
Nobody can deny that this is most certainly a slight dig at Ejaria for his decision. Gerrard clearly feels that his former midfielder doesn’t have the same desire or commitment to strive for the cause the way others in his squad do.
Ejaria’s poor stats suggest that he won’t be much of a miss. Despite that, however, it’s a body down and opens up opportunities for the likes of Ross McCrorie and Andy Halliday to perform in the engine room.
Is it perhaps unfair to question a player’s decision to leave who’s struggling to settle, however? Arguably so, but Gerrard clearly feels the issue perhaps wasn’t big enough to warrant leaving the club.
You have to wonder what’s next for Ejaria after this move. He had a golden opportunity that he failed to take. He won’t be playing for Liverpool anytime soon, and he surely didn’t impress many with his Rangers performances.
Regardless, it’s a shame it all ended so prematurely. Rangers will now looking for someone to improve on Ejaria’s lack of attacking spark.
