IT was all about the incomings for Rangers last summer as Steven Gerrard overhauled the squad he inherited at Ibrox and built a new team in a matter of weeks. Part of that process involved getting players out and the work in that regard was just as significant in terms of numbers.
Many of those that left Rangers on loan deals did so knowing that there would be no way back for them and they would never play under Gerrard. Some will have Ibrox ambitions for next season, however, while others have to look longer-term as they try to rise through the Light Blue ranks.
Here, we look at how those players that Gerrard allowed to leave on temporary deals have fared this term and what their chances are of earning a place in the squad the 38-year-old will assemble for another crack at the Premiership title.
FIRST TEAM HOPEFULS
It is hard to make a case for any of the loan Rangers coming back and being one of the first names on the team sheet next term. Three of them – Greg Docherty, Jordan Rossiter and Ryan Hardie – could have a place in the squad, though, if they can catch Gerrard’s eye during pre-season.
READ MORE: Rangers boss Steven Gerrard eyes a hat-trick of Premiership recruits this summer
Docherty moved to Shrewsbury in August having failed to make a competitive appearance in the opening weeks of the season for Rangers. It wasn’t a headline-grabbing deal, but it has proven to be a useful one for the midfielder, who has made 46 appearances and scored nine goals for the League One outfit.
As positive words filtered back across the border, many fans asked whether Docherty should return to Ibrox, especially when Rangers were in need of options in the middle of the park. The fact he has added goals to his game ticks another important box in terms of what he can bring to the team but it remains to be seen if he has enough guile and spark to be in Gerrard’s central three.
Those qualities aren’t what Rossiter will be judged on but the former Liverpool kid still has plenty to prove if he is to remain at Ibrox for the final 12 months of his deal.
Rossiter’s Rangers career was beset by injuries as he spent month after month out of action but a switch to Bury has allowed him to put together a sustained run of outings. He now has 13 appearances for a Shakers’ side that have a shot at automatic promotion to League One this term.
At 22, Rossiter certainly can’t be written off and he is undoubtedly a talent. Whether Gerrard feels he can be relied on, only time will tell.
The final one that falls into this category is Hardie and the striker is probably now in last chance saloon at Ibrox. Given a new contract last summer before returning to Livingston, he scored five goals in the first half of the Premiership campaign.
A further two have been netted since he re-joined the Lions after being part of Gerrard’s squad during the January trip to Tenerife but that surely won’t be enough to put him any higher up the Ibrox pecking order and it may be best if he moves on. His Gers future will depend on what other business Gerrard does.
SURPLUS TO REQUIREMENTS
This applies to several players that Gerrard allowed to move on last summer and there will be no way back for the likes of Joe Dodoo and Jak Alnwick, who have spent the season with Blackpool and Scunthorpe United respectively. Dodoo has scored six times in 25 appearances, while Alnwick has been a regular for an Iron side that are fighting for their League One futures.
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Both, like midfielder Jason Holt, still have 12 months remaining on their deals but there will be no first team action for them next term at Ibrox. Holt has returned from his time at Fleetwood early after suffering a serious knee injury and if a permanent transfer can’t be secured, Rangers may well need to fund a pay-off. Lee Hodson will be allowed to leave once his time at St Mirren is up.
There is no chance of striker Eduardo Herrera, who is currently with Necaxa, featuring in the final year of the deal Pedro Caixinha handed him and that arrangement will continue to prove costly no matter how, or when, it ends.
UP AND COMING TALENTS
Rangers have sent a handful of their Auchenhowie kids out to gain first team experience this term and in most cases it has been a productive exercise. Having invested significant time and money in the Academy system in recent years, Rangers need to players to rise through the ranks sooner rather than later.
Keeper Robby McCrorie is perhaps the closest to Gerrard’s squad but another spell on loan next season could prove the best plan for him. Like Andrew Dallas, he will hope to return to Ibrox having helped Morton preserve their Championship status, while Zak Rudden has the same aim for Falkirk as he attempts to add to his 12 goals for the Bairns.
Elsewhere, Jamie Barjonas has impressed for Raith Rovers after a stint at Bury, while Kyle Bradley has 26 outings for Annan to his credit.
Forward Serge Atakayi was on the fringes of the first team earlier in the campaign and is now with SJK in the Finnish Veikkausliiga.
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