Gerrard claims Rangers system ‘relies heavily upon’ a player tipped for Ibrox chop in 2019

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Rangers should welcome back Borna Barisic tonight.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks Borna Barisic is now a player that is relied upon heavily at Ibrox.

The Gers are back in Europa League action tonight, hosting Braga in the Europa League at Ibrox in a big game for Gerrard and co.

This is the first Europa League knockout game of Gerrard’s reign, but his side have been unconvincing of late, dropping points at Hearts and Kilmarnock to leave their title hopes in doubt.

Still, Gerrard has been given a big boost now, as left back Barisic is back from injury and available to play, having missed the last couple of games through injury.

The Croatian has been superb this season, racking up 14 assists for Rangers as he put his debut season struggles behind him.

Barisic failed to really impress following his £2m move from Osijek, and the Daily Record reported towards the end of last season that he was on ‘borrowed time’ at Ibrox, suggesting Rangers may axe him after less than a year at the club.

Frosty comments from Gerrard appeared more than once last season; from a thinly-veiled suggestion that Barisic may have been exaggerating an injury to frustration over him not returning to Rangers following international duty.

The dynamic has changed completely this season, with Barisic seeming like a more sturdy player physically and mentally, and when you combine all that with his obvious technical ability, you get a player who can make a real impact.

That’s exactly what Gerrard feels now, claiming that Rangers’ system now ‘relies heavily upon’ Barisic, believing he has been the ideal attacking full back – and he’ll be hoping to see those qualities against Braga tonight.

“We’ve missed him. He’s not only a fantastic player on form, but he’s one our system relies heavily upon,” said Gerrard. “We like to play with real bold, attacking full backs who get into position to cross the ball. His delivery from the left side this season has been fantastic. So to have him back available is a huge boost,” he added.