Michael O’Halloran’s Rangers future is up in the air, meaning he may be available in the summer – Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United know him well.
Michael O’Halloran may be facing a summer exit from Rangers, according to the Daily Mail. After being left out of Sunday’s stunning 3-0 win at Aberdeen, the midfielder was expected to feature as an overage player in the club’s Under-20 match against Hearts on Tuesday night.
The Daily Mail add that O’Halloran’s no-show may have been the result of a breakdown in communication. Apparently, he did not know he was supposed to be playing for Rangers’ youth team.
Nonetheless, the fact that Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha, a strict disciplinarian, has only handed him 45 minutes of football since taking over at Ibrox suggested already that O’Halloran was facing an uncertain future.
The midfielder is yet to fully convince since signing from St Johnstone in January last year and, with just six Scottish Premiership starts to his name, was hardly a first pick under previous manager Mark Warburton either.
However, if he does indeed leave in the summer, O’Halloran should not be short of options. A tenacious and hard-working midfielder, the time could be right for the 26-year-old to return south of the border.
And two clubs preparing for life in the Championship could be well placed to renew their acquaintance. O’Halloran started his career at Bolton Wanderers and, despite failing to break into the first team, could prove an astute addition if he was to return.
With a much of Bolton’s squad out of contract in the summer, manager Phil Parkinson needs reinforcements and O’Halloran could add extra steel to the midfield.
However, while The Trotters are edging closer to promotion, Sheffield United already have it in the bag. And, like Bolton boss Phil Parkinson, manager Chris Wilder is known to admire midfielders with O’Halloran’s competitiveness.
Former Rangers midfielder John Fleck is starting to fulfil his potential at Bramall Lane and O’Halloran, who played seven games on loan at Sheffield United in 2011/12, could do worse than to use him as an inspiration.
After all, he could do with escaping the Rangers bench.
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