Rangers winger Brandon Barker enjoyed a dream introduction at Ibrox on Saturday.
Rangers winger Brandon Barker has told Rangers TV that Steven Gerrard told him to ‘express himself’ before bringing him on against Livingston on Saturday.
The Gers were back in action on Saturday afternoon as Livingston came to Ibrox, with Gerrard seeking a big response to the Old Firm defeat to Celtic before the international break.
However, Rangers were disappointing for much of the game, and fell behind as Steven Lawless scored from the spot after Scott Arfield gave away a penalty.
James Tavernier’s free kick brought Rangers level though, and Alfredo Morelos headed the Gers in front before Barker scored on his Ibrox debut to seal a 3-1 win.
Rangers were unconvincing but still grabbed all three points, and Barker will be glad to have taken his opportunity to impress as a surprise early substitute.
Ryan Kent’s first half injury meant Barker was introduced sooner than he would have expected, with the wide man making his first Ibrox appearance since arriving from Manchester City.
The 22-year-old opened his Rangers account in a dream debut, and he admitted that boss Gerrard told him to express himself before going on the pitch, and now hopes he can take that message and his performance into the future.
“He just said ‘go and be yourself’, that’s why he brought me here, to be myself,” said Barker. “He just said ‘go and express yourself’, it’s nice to get a feeling for how the boys play and stuff, because I’m still relatively new here, hopefully I’ll just crack on now,” he added.
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