Rangers have allowed Kyle Lafferty to leave Ibrox.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has told The Scottish Sun that Kyle Lafferty simply didn’t show enough to stay at Ibrox for another season.
The Gers swooped to re-sign Lafferty last summer, having seen him hit 20 goals in 48 games for Hearts, bringing him back to Ibrox six years since his exit.
Lafferty felt he had unfinished business from his first spell with the club, but his second stint didn’t quite go to plan for the 31-year-old.
The Northern Ireland international managed just six goals last season, and made just 10 appearances in 2019 as he struggled for first-team football.
On Wednesday, Rangers confirmed that Lafferty has left the club, with his contract terminated by mutual consent ahead of the new season.
Lafferty is now free to go and sign for another club, but boss Gerrard has now been asked just why he decided to let the striker leave.
Gerrard has suggested that you would have to ask Lafferty just why he didn’t fare well in his second spell at Ibrox, as he believes he had the opportunities to impress.
Gerrard added that Lafferty only showed glimpses of his quality at Rangers, and the ‘brutal truth’ is that that’s simply not enough to be a key player at Ibrox.
“You’d need to ask Kyle why it hasn’t panned out for him. We had high hopes for him because, when he signed, he was in a really good place,” said Gerrard. “He’s a big, physical presence up front. But, for whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out. We believe he had the opportunities.”
“Kyle is a good player, but showing it in glimpses for Rangers isn’t enough. That’s the brutal truth. He’s a good character to have around but if I had kept hold of him from a selfish point of view then he would have struggled for game-time. He’s still young enough and he still has the drive and hunger to be a success at whatever he decides to do,” he added.
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