Journalist Joshua Barrie, as seen on Sky Sports, has claimed that new Rangers manager Michael Beale has hinted that he could be keen to give Kemar Roofe plenty of minutes at Ibrox.
Sadly, injury problems have kept the striker from playing much at all this season. In fact, the 29-year-old has managed just nine minutes in the SPFL so far this term.
Consequently, there may be some concerns about the player and how fit he will be in the second half of the season when domestic football returns in Scotland for Rangers.
However, Beale recently praised the player and hinted that he is well on the road to recovery, saying: “Kemar Roofe is back training, he has trained the last two days and looked very sharp. I don’t want to rush him, I want a strong Kemar Roofe back. There is physical fitness and then there is the mental state that one or two are playing in as well.”
While speaking about those comments on the Rangers Review podcast, Barrie suggested that this likely means Beale is keen to trust Roofe going forward, with the manager clearly sending a hint towards his striker.
He said: “It certainly seems deliberate. I don’t think Michael Beale would be making those comments, for example, if he didn’t think there was an opportunity that Kemar Roofe could potentially go on and play a lot of minutes for him.”
Will Kemar Roofe shine for Rangers under Michael Beale?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Kemar Roofe and Rangers…
Sadly for Roofe, injury issues have plagued his career over recent years, so a new manager may well look at the striker as damaged goods and be fairly reluctant to include him in his plans for the future.
However, Beale was so full of praise for the forward, that it’s hard not to think he will give him some sort of a chance – provided Roofe can stay fit enough to get on the pitch again.
Of course, the 29-year-old has worked with his new boss before, as he scored an impressive 27 goals and set up four more in 53 games under Steven Gerrard while Beale was working as an assistant coach – while they also won the league in this period.
After a difficult season so far, things are certainly starting to look a little bit more promising for Roofe.