Kyle Lafferty was one of the players who joined Rangers this season, and the Northern Irish striker has done well in limited opportunities he has gotten so far. However, he is set to miss the next game for his club as the Irish FA has imposed a five-day ban on him.
The forward recently pulled out of the Northern Ireland squad due to an Achilles injury, and things went awry ever since for the 31-year-old. However, manager Steven Gerrard’s response to the developments shows his character as he asked for the Irish FA’s decision to be respected.
Gerrard was quoted as saying,”It’s a shame to miss Kyle Lafferty as he has been in good form but we respect Northern Ireland’s decision and we move on. It’s an opportunity for someone else on Sunday.” Quite a few managers would have started moaning over a decision like this but not Gerrard. His positive attitude towards everything has rubbed on well with the players and supporters and this is another example of it.
With many big fixtures lined up back to back, Lafferty might have been in the reckoning to start in the game against Hamilton. However, Gerrard has shown that he is willing to take the decision on the chin and not repent on something which he can’t influence.
The Gers currently sit sixth on the Premiership table and are still awaiting their first away win since February. The Hamilton match would be the perfect opportunity for the Bears to get that monkey off the back with a positive result. The club might have signed 15 players in the summer but one feels that they are slightly short on the attacking department as Umar Sadiq has failed to come to the party. Gerrard did mention that someone else would get the opportunity on Sunday so maybe the Nigerian forward might get on the bench for this game.
Lafferty chances in the first team has dried out in the last few games as Gerrard has gone with Alfredo Morelos upfront given the form the Colombian has shown. Gerrard tried playing both of them together and Lafferty was pushed in the wide regions which didn’t go well as the Northern Irish striker is at his best in front of goal. So now it’s likely that Gerrard is going to use Lafferty as a backup option or to change things when Morelos doesn’t look effective.
Managers often tend to find an excuse and they are usually at loggerhead with the national team’s board during the international break but Gerrard has taken the decision in his stride and has decided to move on which is an excellent sign for the club and the fans.
