Partick Thistle striker Zak Rudden, who has a Rangers buy-back clause in his contract, was sent off on Boxing Day, despite recently vowing to kick on at Firhill.
Rudden joined Thistle from the Gers in January 2019 following loan spells at Falkirk and Plymouth Argyle, as he looked to establish himself in senior football.
Rangers hinted at the time that they retained options on the player despite the move being permanent and Jags boss Ian McCall confirmed that the Ibrox club had inserted a buy-back clause that could be triggered after around 18 months.
However, Rudden’s stint in Maryhill has been disastrous so far, with a series of injuries and now ill-discipline contributing to his struggles.
The 20-year-old returned from a two-month stint on the sidelines last weekend, making just his eighth Thistle appearance in a 1-0 defeat to Peterhead.
He vowed to kick on after that game but instead shot himself in the foot on his first league start of the season against Falkirk on Boxing Day, picking up a straight red card in the 64th minute.
Thistle escaped with a 0-0 draw despite playing over 25 minutes with ten men, but a multi-game ban now beckons for the former Gers Academy star, who appeared to be given his marching orders for dissent.
Rudden has until the summer to impress before Rangers can have a say in his future and the 6ft 2″ striker undoubtedly has the ability to score heavily in the third tier.
However, he remains goalless at Thistle and right now, the chances of the Gers bringing him back to Ibrox look slim to none.
Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard has praised one of his senior players for a ‘fantastic’ late act which was ‘worth the extra two points’ in Rangers’ 1-0 win over Hibernian.
