‘Nowhere near’ – James McFadden claims Rangers 25y/o is not good enough to cut it at Ibrox
James McFadden has claimed that Rangers winger Jordan Jones has been “nowhere near it” since he joined the club last summer.
The 25-year-old arrived at Ibrox in 2019 on a free transfer from Kilmarnock, but has struggled to make an impact for Steven Gerrard’s men.
A serious knee injury limited him to just 15 first team appearances during his debut campaign in Glasgow, and he has yet to feature for the Gers at all this term.
It is also understood that the wide man has been told he can find a new club before the current transfer window shuts, with a number of English Championship sides reportedly interested in him.
And McFadden has argued that Jones has failed to cut it at Ibrox, especially now that his manager has made a number of high profile signings over recent months.
Speaking on the BBC Sportsound podcast (11.30), he said: “It’s almost like, from day one, he [Gerrard] tried to improve the squad every single year.
“He brought in a lot of players last year and the criticism was they were all very similar. When you look at Jordan Jones, guys like that, he’s nowhere near it.
“Maybe it was just a case of trying to get as many bodies in to try and strengthen the squad.
“But now it’s like he’s looking at it and thinking they need real quality to improve the squad and put pressure on the guys that are starting.”
Does McFadden have a point here?
The ex-Scotland international’s assessment of Jones’ time with the Gers is a blunt one, but it’s hard to argue with it.
Admittedly, he was held back massively by injuries last term, but even then, 15 appearances with no goals and just two assists is a pretty poor record.
Furthermore, former Gers boss Alex McLeish recently told Ibrox News that the wide man has not shown enough to convince Gerrard that he is worthy of a regular starting role.
Maybe given time he could amend that, but right now, Rangers need players who can make an immediate impact in their bid to stop Celtic winning a tenth consecutive title.
If reports linking him to an exit are true, there is no reason to believe that Jones won’t quietly leave Ibrox this summer with very little show for his time in Glasgow.
In other Rangers news, the Gers have a player-plus-cash deal on the cards, club ready to swap centre-mid & forward.