Former Glasgow Rangers trio Barrie McKay, Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner have thrived since leaving Ibrox, having joined Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town respectively.
Barrie McKay
Derek Johnstone has told the Evening Times that while Barrie McKay, Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner have thrived since leaving Rangers over the summer, the Gers seemed to make the right call moving them on.
During Pedro Caixinha’s first summer at the helm at Ibrox, the Portuguese not only oversaw a number of arrivals but he also moved a number of former key players on, including McKay, Waghorn and Garner.
Joe Garner
The latter pair joined Ipswich Town while McKay linked up with former Gers boss Mark Warburton at Nottingham Forest – and it is safe to say that the three players have left many Light Blues supporters ruing the club’s decisions.
Waghorn is the Championship’s joint top goalscorer with four goals in as many appearances, while Garner has found the back of the net three times and McKay has scored twice and contributed two assists for Forest.
But Johnstone has suggested that their stunning form would have been a lot harder to stumble upon had they remained at Rangers this summer.
“Barrie McKay is a fantastic talent, don’t get me wrong, but one of the reasons he left Rangers is that he wasn’t consistent enough,” he told the Evening Times.
“On his day he was unplayable and he scored some fantastic goals, but one good game out of four or five is not good enough at this club, and that was his problem.
“Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner are scoring freely for Ipswich, but that’s under no pressure. Could they handle the pressure in the top league up here? You’d have to say no.”
While Johnstone is not convinced that the trio would have thrived so much had they stayed at Rangers, there will surely be plenty of Rangers fans who will be looking at their form and feeling disappointed that the Gers moved them on.
McKay has caused a number of full-backs plenty of headaches since moving to the City Ground, while Waghorn’s tally matches the number of goals the entire Rangers side has scored in the league so far this term.
And while Johnstone’s point is somewhat valid in that none of the three players stood out last term, there is surely no doubt that Ipswich and Nottingham Forest fans will currently be delighted that the Gers did decide to sell this summer.
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