The dark days of the lower leagues are well behind Rangers now, but what ever happened to temporary star Haris Vuckic?
The Slovenian attacker was signed by Rangers in February 2015. He was one of the infamous “Newcastle five” who arrived at Ibrox thanks to the club’s links with Mike Ashley. The others included Kevin Mbabu, Gael Birimana, Shane Ferguson, and Remie Streete respectively.
Vuckic, however, was the one that fans took to instantly as he impressed more than anyone else. Whilst the season 2014/15 was a dark one for Rangers in more ways than one, he was a shining light in the second half of it.
He managed to bag a highly-impressive nine goals in 22 Rangers appearances – featuring on a weekly-basis and providing some hope to Gers fans who had none at that point in time.
The Slovenian was a technically-gifted attacking midfielder, and was the best of a terrible bunch. Yet, his performances led to him being adored by the Rangers supporters, who were appreciative of his talents.
Despite that, several months on and Mark Warburton was at the club whilst Vuckic’s loan deal had expired. The Newcastle Five went back down to the North East never to be heard from around Ibrox again.
Vuckic was wanted back
Warburton apparently wanted him back, according to the player himself. Vuckic, however, stated that he preferred to star in England’s League One with Wigan Athletic – what he described as a “better league”.
The only thing for Vuckic is that he actually didn’t star. He made 17 appearances during his six-month spell at Wigan, scoring only two goals. That was then followed up by another loan spell at Bradford last season for six months. This time, he managed a more respectable four goals in 14 appearances.
Neither spell was enough for a club in England to take a punt on him. He had his chance in England and blew it.
So where is he now then?
Nowhere near the first-team at FC Twente apparently.
The Dutch outfit picked Vuckic up at the beginning of last season on a free transfer after his Newcastle contract had run out. Once again, however, it never worked out for him on the continent.
He’s made just 12 appearances and scored three goals since joining up with the Eridivisie side. He hasn’t featured at all this season either. Whether that’s down to injury or just being out of favour is unclear. He has, however, struggled with injuries throughout his career.
It looks as though Rangers effectively dodged a bullet with him, with the Scottish Championship perhaps being his level. Vuckic may have thought he was rejecting Rangers for a better league back in 2016, but things didn’t exactly work out the way he planned.
