OPINION
To say that Kyle Lafferty has failed to live up to expectation during his second spell at Rangers would be something of an understatement – and the arrival of Jermain Defoe has done him no favours to try and get his career back on track.
A record of 23 appearances and just five goals is nothing for the 6’4″ (source: Transfermarkt) giant to be writing home to Enniskillen about – Alfredo Morelos’ incredible record in front of goal understandably keeping him on the bench for much of the season.
With the Colombian now out for the next two games thanks to another suspension, many will have expected Defoe to be the one to take his place and that was the case against Kilmarnock in the cup.
However, the Gers looked toothless on Saturday, the English loanee and his teammates struggling to fashion too many chances in front of goal – which has left Gerrard questioning where to go next up top.
Lafferty has started just eight games and his future at the club looks to be snowballing towards a disappointing end but his manager has hinted at a lifeline for the veteran.
He told the Daily Mail: “They (Defoe and Morelos) are two different types of players. They are obviously both very strong in front of goal, but they are very different, so we have to adapt to whoever it is that’s leading the line.
“We also have Kyle (Lafferty) in the running as well, maybe we might decide to go down a different way.”
It is by no means a given but if Gerrard wants a physical presence up top – as Morelos offers when in the side – then Lafferty is the only option and after Saturday’s shutout he could well turn to the Northern Irish international to make the difference.
After his disappointing campaign and Morelos’ return in three games’ time, this could be last chance saloon for the 31-year-old to make his mark and failure to do so will simply push him further away from future opportunities the first team.