Despite an offer from St. Johnstone, Rangers are willing to go slow with Glenn Middleton. The outcast winger revived himself at McDiarmid Park following a winter loan spell and the Saints boss Callum Davidson wants him back in Perth, as claimed by the Courier.
Although he was cup-tied with the Gers and did not get involved in St. Johnstone’s League Cup final, his heroics in the Scottish Cup semifinal against St. Mirren helped them script a cup double. He went on to feature 13 times since completing the temporary switch and Rangers have now decided to assess Middleton’s progress before making the final call on his future.
“I do believe that if Glenn has a full season with someone and plays a lot of games he’ll go on to do great things and push for a place in the Scotland squad. I’ve spoken to Rangers, who have been brilliant. They’ve been really honest with me. They want him to go back there and they’ll assess how he’s getting on.”
Revealed Davidson (as quoted by Courier) who hailed the 21-year-old for scoring some crucial goals.
Middleton has had his highs and lows since joining the Light Blues from Norwich City. He went on to feature 28 times during Steven Gerrard’s first season and left an immediate impact. 5 goals and assists each across competitions exhibited his expertise down the left-hand flank, however, the youngster eventually fell down the pecking order behind Ryan Kent, Jordan Jones and Brandon Barker. Loan stints at Hibernian and Bradford City did not work out either and his future in Govan was jeopardized further following the January arrival of Scott Wright from Aberdeen to challenge and cover Kent in the attacking third.
One Last Opportunity To Prove The Worth?
The Scotland youth international is not alone who got shipped out for regular game-time. Jones and Barker left for English League One (with Sunderland and Oxford United respectively) and the trio would be assessed minutely once they report for next month’s pre-season.
Rangers have already roped in Fashion Sakala to bolster the frontline. The fringe names might find it more difficult now to break into Gerrard’s first-team plans but, at the same time, should try to make an impression to secure a sporadic status. A transfer elsewhere would be a step down for their career, particularly for Middleton who is rated highly back in the homeland and still has a couple of years left in his Rangers contract.
