Rangers boss Graeme Murty has admitted there are major concerns over the long-term fitness of young midfielder Jordan Rossiter.
The Light Blues signed Rossiter from Liverpool in 2016 on what the Mail claimed was a £10,000-a-week contract, but the 20-year-old central midfielder has only made 10 appearances since joining the Ibrox club.
He has struggled this season with a niggling calf injury, and has only made four appearances, which all came at the start of the campaign.
The pass master has also suffered from recurring back and hamstring complaints, which were all supposed to be resolved before this season.
Now Murty has admitted that there are more serious concerns over the long-term fitness of Rossiter, as the Ibrox medical team work tirelessly to get to the bottom of the issue.
Speaking to the Scotsman, Murty said: “He is going through a hard time. Physically and psychologically. We are not sure where we are time-wise. We were looking at Jordan progressing. He’s not progressing as fast as we would like or, I’m sure, he would like.
“He’s getting fantastic support, though. Our medical staff are taking really, really good care of him. What we want to do is take away any performance anxiety or any other stresses that he has so that he keeps his focus on getting his body right and making sure he can maximise his potential. Part of the way to do that is to take away time limits, take away restrictions on it. And just make sure that holistically you look at everything in his life and around him that can put him in a positive place.
“[You can contrast it with] Kenny [Miller]. If you give Kenny Miller a timeline: you’re going to be out this length of time, Kenny would do everything he can do to chase that down because that’s his psyche.
“Because Jordan has had a harder time of it over the last couple of years, putting that time or that date in the forefront of his mind might lead him to fixate on that rather than listening to his body. And we just want him to get his body right. And when he gets his body right, then we will see him play.”
OPINION
Murty’s comments are deeply worrying, and seem to suggest that Rossiter’s body is not cut out for the rigours of professional football. If that is the case, then it will be a devastating blow for both the player and the club. Rossiter was always earmarked at Liverpool as a youngster with great potential, and it would be such a shame to see that not come to pass. Rangers could desperately do with him fit, especially as they look to qualify for Europe next season, and hopefully he can recover in time to make some kind of impact this campaign.