Ibrox View: Future looks bleak for Rangers player dubbed ‘Terrific’ by Gerrard two years ago
You would be forgiven for forgetting that Glenn Middleton is still a Rangers player with the winger not featuring for the Light Blues’ first team since April 2019.
Last season, the 20-year-old was sent on loan to both Hibernian and Bradford but neither spells were very productive for the attacker, who played just 11 times at both clubs.
At Easter Road, Middleton played eight times and only started half of those. At Bradford, the Scotland Under-21 international played three times in England’s League Two before the season was called to a halt early due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Middleton’s tough 2019/20 season has appeared to have had a major impact on his standing at Rangers with the attacker seemingly frozen out of Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad.
He’s a regular for the Rangers B team and is managing to get among the goals and assists enough to earn a spot in Scotland’s latest Under-21s squad – but it’s a far cry from where the former Norwich player was in the 2018/19 season.
Middleton played 28 times in all competitions for Rangers in Gerrard’s debut season in charge of the Light Blues.
In those appearances, he managed to score five goals and supply five assists with one of those goals coming in the Europa League against Spartak Moscow.
In September 2018, Gerrard raved about Middleton for his ability to change matches when coming off the bench.
As quoted by BBC Sport two years ago, the Gers boss said:“He’s been an impact player for us of late and done terrifically.
“He’s doing everything he can to force his way in. He’s a terrific finisher and you always get judged as an attacking player on goals and assists.”
Middleton shone in that season but it’s all gone downhill for him since and even though Rangers have a slight deficiency of wingers, the Scotland youth international is still struggling to make a breakthrough.
Jordan Jones is bound to be hit with a ban or be shut out of the Rangers first team for breaking COVID regulations, which means Gerrard is already down one winger.
But Middleton is still nowhere near the squad with Gerrard playing Ianis Hagi, Cedric Itten, Kemar Roofe, Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield out on the wing instead of the ex-Norwich player, even though it is not exactly their preferred area of the pitch to play.
If Middleton doesn’t get a game before January then we can see him being shipped out either permanently or on loan.
We’d rather it be a loan because we feel we saw enough from the youngster in 2018/19 to suggest he has potential.
But if a club comes knocking with cash, Ross Wilson and Gerrard may feel it’s time to move on the once-promising player.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart suggests this Gers player should be dropped by his international manager.