Brandon Barker appears to have taken a thinly-veiled swipe at Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard over his match fitness after moving on loan to Oxford City.
Barker make fitness claim
During the first half of the campaign, 24-year-old Barker made just 13 appearances for the Ibrox outfit (Transfermarkt), with his playing time decreasing as the season progressed.
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In January, he moved to Oxford on a temporary basis. Speaking about his initial steps with his new club, he said (via The Glasgow Times):
“Up to now I’ve done okay, but I still think there’s a lot more to come.
“I’ve only just started playing regularly again, so I’m just trying to build my form and help the team out.
“When I came in, my match-fitness was really low and that’s pretty hard to take.
“When you can’t play every single game it’s quite frustrating.
“Now I’m in a really good place – I lasted 80-odd minutes against Ipswich, so now I can’t really complain about the fitness.
“I just need to focus on the performance and help out with goals and assists.”
Only himself to blame
Barker was given some opportunities by Gerrard, but he failed to make a real impression. He scored in a 2-0 win over Ross County, while he also netted in the 8-0 victory against Hamilton, but he was unable to play to a high standard on a regular basis – a loan move was therefore his only option.
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He has made a good start to life in England, scoring once and providing an assist in three league matches. Gerrard will certainly have an eye on his progress, so all he can do is continue to perform until the end of the term. That may just give him a future with the 54-time Scottish champions.
In other news, Rangers fans slam this SFA statement.
