Glasgow Rangers winger Josh Windass has come in for criticism this term, so perhaps his struggles may open the door for an Ibrox youngster.
Rangers may have come away from Macedonia on Tuesday with a feeling of job done having secured a result in the second-leg of their tie with Shkupi that secured their place in the next round of the Europa League qualifiers, but Steven Gerrard would probably be forgiven for not being entirely happy with their performance in the rematch.
A 2-0 lead from the first-leg was not squandered, but a goalless draw in the second-leg was hardly the most convincing result and will leave Gerrard with plenty to ponder as pre-season rumbles on.
One of his main concerns may perhaps be the current situation surrounding Josh Windass. He struggled to win all of the supporters over last season, but was still able to score 18 goals. Gerrard may have felt that getting the best out of him therefore, could have devastating results for their Scottish Premiership rivals.
However, Windass’ performances in the first two competitive games under Gerrard have seen the attacker attract a lot of criticism from the fans. And on both occasions, Windass has been substituted for youngster Glenn Middleton.
It is no secret that Middleton is probably the most exciting prospect coming through at Ibrox and it seems inevitable that he will be playing fairly regularly in the near future. But perhaps, few would have expected Gerrard to show so much faith in him so soon after taking over, especially in the European qualifiers.
And Middleton has somewhat vindicated that faith. In the first-leg in particular, the former Norwich City ace looked extremely bright and asked many questions of the Shkupi defenders.
He has certainly got the supporters on side right now, so perhaps there is the slightest chance that Middleton could actually push ahead of Windass in the pecking order before the domestic season starts – if Gerrard continues to persist with using the latter in a wider role.
It would be a major surprise if Windass – who has been linked by the Daily Express (28/06; page 55) with a £3 million move to Cardiff City this summer – did find himself behind Middleton in the pecking order by the time the Gers travelled to face Aberdeen next month, but their respective performances in the Shkupi tie may perhaps tempt Gerrard to hand Middleton more opportunities in the coming weeks.
And if he can take full advantage of that potential opportunity, perhaps Middleton can really push to be a contender for a starting spot once the Scottish Premiership campaign commences.
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