When Jermain Defoe came off the bench to score and provide an assist for Rangers in the Europa League qualifying victory over Lincoln Red Imps in September, he looked very much a part of Steven Gerrard’s plans for the competition.
However, he didn’t make it onto the pitch in the following rounds against Willem II and Galatasaray.
Then, when the extended Gers squad for the group stages was released, he was a shock absentee.
Defoe, Jordan Jones and George Edmundson were the first team players to miss out.
At that point, it looked as though all three were well down the pecking order in their respective positions.
Yet, comments made by Gerrard on Wednesday made it clear that Defoe’s omission was about player management rather than a reflection of his standing within the squad.
“It doesn’t make sense to ask him to go Thursday-Sunday-Thursday-Sunday at his age and with the injuries he’s had,” said Gerrard, as captured by RangersTV. “We’ve made a decision to give him a different programme, a tailored programme that is a bit different from the rest so he can put in performances like he did at the weekend.”
It’s a sensible call from the Gers boss, who now has the resources at his disposal to effectively manage the veteran striker.
Defoe started and scored a wonderful goal against Livingston on Sunday, with his inclusion in the team for that clash proving that he isn’t necessarily behind Cedric Itten in the pecking order.
Yet, it makes more sense to allow him to recover from his weekend exertions at his own pace rather than pushing him to be available for a Europa League game when three other strikers are raring to go.
Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe and Itten are all over a decade younger than Defoe and as a result, are much better equipped to deal with a challenging schedule.
