Rangers winger Jordan Jones could be given the option of an easy exit out of Ibrox when the window opens in January with the news that a former club is keen on taking him down south.
The Northern Ireland international is rumoured to be a target for Middlesbrough according to Football Insider which would give him a chance to return to his home town, whether or not this would be wise given his reasons for leaving there in the first place is another story.
Jones has just been hit with a seven game ban by the Scottish Football Association for an indefensible breach of Covid-19 protocols and after the punishment was revealed he issued an apology through Rangers official website:
“I acknowledge that my actions have fallen well short of the standard expected at Rangers Football Club. I am sorry to the fans, the club and my team mates for causing this situation, it won’t happen again.”
Steven Gerrard has been quick to suggest that a line has been drawn under the incident, refusing to openly admit that the player’s time in Light Blue has come to an end, this could partly be down to the politics of not alerting clubs to the possibility of securing an international winger on the cheap.
When asked about the future of the two players involved ahead of the weekend’s clash with Aberdeen he said:
“I spoke to them both individually and they were both very sad over the incident,” he said. “They were remorseful, apologetic and full of regret.
“They first and foremost wanted to apologise to the supporters and their team-mates for their actions. Now it’s about me giving them the support and managing the two to come back to being top players – because they’re good players. We need them here to help and support us.”
So, the door hasn’t been officially closed, however, should Middlesbrough make a bid anywhere near to Jones’s rumoured six-figure valuation, I suspect he’ll be out the door before he even gets a chance to sit in the stands at Ibrox again.