Time on the pitch, time to impress, time to win a permanent contract – it appears that there is just not enough of it for Bongani Zungu.
The South African international midfielder disappointed in his rare start against Hamilton last week, but the criticism was over the top from some quarters.
Zungu put in a safe, conservative performance – in truth he didn’t do a lot wrong – but given he hardly made an impact in the game against the Premiership’s bottom placed side and was immediately outshone by Steven Davis and Ryan Jack coming off the bench to instigate Rangers opener, it was not a day to remember for the current on-loan player.
It may seem a bit unfair as he is not on the same level as Davis or Jack in their Rangers stature or familarity with Scottish football but the stakes are high at Ibrox, especially in a game like Sunday and a strong expectation to win to bring the title closer.
A recent VitalRangers poll showed that fans are far from convinced about the player with 87% of almost 500 fans not wanting Rangers to seal Zungu on a permanent deal from Amiens.
It has to be said that Zungu has showed his talent and ability in glimpses, his start in the Europa League away to Lech Poznan was productive and he has played a role domestically, coming off the bench many times to shore up the midfield, which evidences that Steven Gerrard trusts the player to perform that role.
However, the damning fact is that Zungu has been quite poor in two particular games that he has started, away to St Mirren in the League Cup exit and in the Gers most recent outing, dropping points at Hamilton last week.
That correlation is a big concern.
The player is almost certain to return to the bench on Saturday as Kilmarnock visit Ibrox and with Scott Arfield set to make his comeback from injury very soon, the former Vitoria Guimaraes player will only fall further down the pecking order.
With a reported £2.7m fee on the line, time and probability is against Bongani Zungu and his chances of securing a permanent stay in Glasgow.