Rangers have had a bright start to their campaign as they look to stop Celtic from continuing their domestic domination. Even in Europe, Gerrard’s men are one win away from making it to the Europa League. Rangers did some good business in the transfer market once again, and they have managed to add quality without spending too much.
One area though where they might still need some cover is the striker’s position. The club parted ways with Kyle Lafferty after his contract was terminated mutually. That leaves Gerrard with two first-team strike option in Jermain Defoe and Alfredo Morelos.
Young Zak Rudden could have been a third choice backup striker. The youngster spent the last season on loan with Championship outfit Falkirk where he scored 13 goals and provided with five assists in all competitions. The 19-year-old swept away all the major honours for Falkirk last season as he won Players Player of the Year, Supporters Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year & Goal of the Season.
Gerrard indicated clearly around mid-August that he could be in contention to be an option for the first team. When asked about forward options beyond Morelos and Defoe, the manager had said, ”We have a youngster still here at the moment in Zak Rudden, who’s just come back from a knee injury. So, he’s part of the squad at the moment.”
It seemed at that time the club will keep Rudden as the third choice striker and he will continue his development with the first team. However, latest reports confirm that the 19-year-old has joined League Two outfit Plymouth Argyle on a six-month loan deal.
Why might Gerrard have taken this step?
Maybe Gerrard wants the youngster to play more to continue with his development instead of keeping him at Ibrox as a backup. It could also be that the English manager realised Rudden is not yet ready for first-team football after seeing him in training in the last few days.
What now for Rangers?
Gerrard should look to bring in a backup striker with so many competitions to play in. Rangers indeed have two top strikers in Defoe and Morelos, but an injury to either one of them could bring the team under severe pressure. Moreover, with Morelos, a suspension couldn’t be too far off so Gerrard should be mindful about picking a new striker in the transfer market.
If Gerrard wants to solve the problem internally, there are no players that standout who can play the role of a striker. Maybe Greg Stewart can fill in even though Gerrard has only used him in wide positions so far.
