Rangers legend Brian Laudrup worries that Juventus loanee Aaron Ramsey is ‘running out of time’ after another no-show against Motherwell on Sunday, speaking to the Daily Mail.
There was understandable excitement when Rangers confirmed, in the final throes of the January transfer window, that Ramsey was set to swap Italy for Ibrox.
Gers legend Ally McCoist even labelled it the most high-profile signing made by any Scottish club since Paul Gascoigne’s arrival from Lazio three decades ago.
And he had a point.
Ramsey, a 71-time Wales international, came with a superb CV, having accumulated no less than eight trophies during spells at Arsenal and Juventus. And, when fully fit, there’s arguably no footballer in Scotland more technically gifted than the 31-year-old playmaker.
But therein lies the problem.
Ramsey has not been ‘fully fit’ anywhere near as frequently as he’d have liked in recent seasons. And he’s played just 29 minutes of Premiership football since joining Rangers over a month ago, omitted during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Motherwell.
Now, it was always going to take time for Ramsey to rediscover his match sharpness. But with ten league fixtures remaining, time is not exactly on the midfielder’s side.
Can Aaron Ramsey make his mark at Rangers?
“For me, there is now an obvious concern on (the domestic) front when you think back to the January window,” says Laudrup.
“Aaron Ramsey again didn’t make the squad as he tries, I assume, to get to the right condition after his well-publicised injury issues. No one doubts Ramsey’s huge quality. But time is running out for this loan move to be effective.
“The Wales star has not been able to make the difference many hoped he would.”
Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo has stalled after a bright start. A goal just five minutes into his first Rangers debut are as good as things have got for the £19 million winger thus far.
James Sands, meanwhile, has been left out of the starting line-up for Rangers last six league games.
“This relative lack of options can start to take a toll,” Laudrup adds. “It’s not an excuse for under-performance or not getting the job done. But it can be a factor if the manager doesn’t feel able to freshen things up.
“We all know it takes time to gel at a new club. But, for differing reasons, it seems Diallo, Ramsey and Sands haven’t convinced Van Bronckhorst that they are yet able to go and take on major responsibility in this title race.
“For me, that’s a huge problem.”
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