Rangers striker Jermain Defoe, a player who Steven Gerrard has regularly praised since he joined the ranks at Ibrox, looks set to leave the club this summer.
Defoe made his professional debut for West Ham as a teenager in 2000 and has been a high-quality operator for over two decades.
Yet, now aged 38, he is picking up injuries more regularly and has struggled for game time at Ibrox this season.
The England international has contributed 29 goals and ten assists in 63 appearances since joining the Gers initially on loan from Bournemouth in January 2019, which is particularly impressive considering how often he has been used from the bench.
He’s made an impact at important times this season, scoring in Europa League qualifying, the League Cup and twice in the Premiership, with his finish against Livingston in October right out of the top drawer.
However, muscle problems never seem to be far away for the veteran these days and even when he is fit, he faces stiff competition in the form of Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten, who are all also vying for the no.9 shirt.
Defoe returned to the matchday squad after a multi-week absence for the visit of Kilmarnock on Saturday following a calf strain but he wasn’t required off the bench, so he’s still only played 447 minutes all season.
He is one of several Gers players whose contracts are up in the summer.
However, while Gerrard has spoken openly about his desire to retain both Allan McGregor [Glasgow Times] and Steven Davis [Belfast Live], less has been said about the high-earning ex-Spurs star’s situation.
Defoe will likely get his hands on a first career league winners medal in a matter of weeks but at this point, it looks very unlikely that he’ll be offered a chance to stay on at Ibrox beyond this season.
Discussing his future recently, many Rangers supporters suggested that the club should make Defoe a quirky offer at the end of the campaign.
