Rangers manager Steven Gerrard believes Ovie Ejaria has made the wrong decision to cut short of his time at Ibrox to return to Liverpool.
The midfielder signed on a season-long loan deal in the summer but after a dramatic week that resulted in him not travelling to Austria and holding showdown talks with the manager, it was announced he would be heading back to England early.
Gerrard, making it clear he would never stand in the player’s way, disagrees with Ejaria’s actions.
As quoted by The Daily Record, the Ibrox boss said:
Am I disappointed he’s gone? Yes.
Do I think it’s the right decision? No, because I think he had an incredible opportunity here.
But I’m never going to stand in a player’s way who is not happy and who is not settled because I have people who are desperate to wear the shirt and who would run through brick walls to wear it.
Given the amount of faith Gerrard has put in the midfielder this season, handing Ejaria 28 appearances, it’s no surprise that he is disappointed with how it’s all turned out.
Ejaria leaving mid-season is a bit of a slap in the face of the project Gerrard is trying to build in Glasgow.
Although generally seen as a safe signing option, loan deals have their own risks and perhaps the disintegration of this one will see the manager pursue permanent deals as a priority in future.
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