Barjonas joined Bury from Rangers on loan in the summer.
Steven Gerrard has already shown that he can be ruthless if required during his stint as Rangers manager, with 30 players leaving Ibrox on loan or permanently in the summer.
Jamie Barjonas, 19, was one of those as he was sent on loan to League Two side Bury until January. The plan was seemingly to give the Scotland youth international game time, with a view to breaking into the Rangers side.
Fast forward until now, and it could not have gone worse for Barjonas. The attacking midfielder has managed just 24 minutes of League Two action for a side Rangers annihilated 6-0 in pre-season under Gerrard.
Highly-rated at Rangers, Barjonas managed nine appearances after breaking into the senior side before going out on loan, but he has struggled at Bury to make even the slightest impact.
Now, Gerrard has a decision to make. Barjonas has 18 months remaining on his contract at Ibrox, but the midfielder requires first-team football if he is to develop. A loan after his return in January is likely, but is it even worth it?
Barjonas has failed to show he can hack it in the fourth tier of English football. Greg Docherty has shone with League One Shrewsbury, while Scott Arfield, Ovie Ejaria and Lassana Coulibaly have impressed.
Even Mexico international Carlos Pena is returning to Rangers, and he is surely to be trusted more so than Barjonas – if his dismal loan spell at Bury is anything to go by.
Barjonas certainly has potential, and there is player there. But if Gerrard is ruthless in January, the likelihood is that the former Liverpool captain will think there is no point in trying to help Barjonas develop.
Instead, the midfielder should be offloaded on a permanent basis to the first buyer as he is simply not needed at Rangers – judging by his time at Bury.
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