Barry Ferguson believes Ryan Jack contract talks with Rangers are yet to begin
Barry Ferguson believes Rangers haven’t even opened talks with midfielder Ryan Jack over a new contract at Ibrox, as relayed by the Daily Record.
The 30-year-old’s contract at Rangers expires at the end of the season, but Michael Beale stated he wanted to clear up his future “sooner rather than later” in a recent press conference. [The Athletic, 27 January]
However, former Gers player Ferguson believes Jack is still fighting for his future in the coming months and will need to pull together a string of strong performances to be rewarded with a fresh contract.
“I don’t think talks have even started with Ryan Jack over a new contract,” he told GO Radio (Friday 27 January).
“It was interesting to hear Michael Beale say that health and form are important to him. He’ll wait and see if Ryan Jack can prove he can play enough games. After that, I think he’ll get a new contract.
“The thing about experience is, you can’t buy it. People will say they’re too old and don’t have the legs any more. Listen, they’ve got the brain and the intelligence.
“When you lose experienced players, and if it happens to Rangers in the summer if Allan McGregor hangs his gloves up or Steven Davis doesn’t get another deal, they will be massive losses. Believe me when I say that.
“You need to always have an experienced group in that squad to help the other ones.”
Changing of the guard
With Jack, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent all seeing their contracts expire at the end of the season, there could be a natural changing of the guard for Beale at Rangers.
Although the midfielder has been a mainstay in Beale’s plans since taking the reigns from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, it would be a little risky to provide Jack with a new contract considering the brimming wage bill at the club.
The Gers’ transfer activity this month also suggests that the English manager is looking to freshen up his squad with some young legs, with Todd Cantwell snapped up and Nicolas Raskin also heavily rumoured with a move to Ibrox.
If this is the case, Jack could well be cut loose by Rangers in the summer. The 30-year-old will need to produce an impressive run of form until the summer to prove to Beale he is the man to take Rangers’ midfield forward into the next five years.
In other Rangers news, a club in Europe holds the option to re-sign a player from Ibrox whenever they like.