Rangers’ young Nigerian striker Umar Sadiq has found chances in the first team hard to come by. The striker has made just 3 substitute appearances so far and is clearly last in the pecking order as manager Steven Gerrard has often preferred Kyle Lafferty and Alfredo Morelos over him. The 21-year old has just managed close to an hour of football with his new side
However, the striker doesn’t seem disheartened by that fact and is determined to fight and keen to prove his worth. He was recently quoted as saying,”It’s too soon to talk about movements (leaving the club). I am here to play football and I know it won’t be easy. Its a privilege to work with a living legend like Steven Gerrard.”
”I’m working hard in training and we’re doing the right things. It’s just too early to talk about leaving. Let’s just see how the future turns out.”- the forward added further.
It’s great to see the attitude of the Nigerian forward as many strikers could have been miffed by lack of first-team opportunities. The forward is on loan at Ibrox from AS Roma and he was one of Gerrard’s earlier signing of the summer. The signing of Kyle Lafferty late in the market would have caused him a bit of worry about his place but the 21-year-old is still willing to work hard and showcase his abilities when given an opportunity.
The young forward is likely to get some minutes in the upcoming Europa League tie as Alfredo Morelos is suspended and that would make Sadiq the second choice option for that game. We have seen Gerrard go in with two strikers up front in some games so there is a possibility of him even starting. However, that would be unlikely as the Gers are up against Villareal and Gerrard might put in an extra midfielder in the side ahead of Sadiq.
Roma bought Sadiq from Spezia Primavera for £2m after seeing his goal-scoring prowess at the youth level. The Nigerian had scored 27 goals for them in 32 appearances and therefore Roma didn’t have any hesitancy in paying such amount. Even for Roma’s youth team, the forward continued the good run as he managed 14 goals and 5 assists in 10 appearances. However, now he needs to step it up at the senior level to showcase his actual worth.
Sadiq can be a traditional no.9 as he offers almost everything which is demanded from a striker. He can play the role of a target man up front and along with that, he showcases good pace. His time at the Ibrox is soon going to come as in a long season Gerrard would have to rotate his players and the Nigerian needs to be ready to grab his chances whenever he is presented with an opportunity.
