Gerrard called Rangers player a ‘major talent’, now he’s set for early Ibrox exit

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Rangers midfielder Juninho Bacuna is on the verge of leaving Ibrox for a surprise move back to the Championship with Birmingham City.

That’s according to the Daily Record, who claim that Birmingham are set to strike a permanent deal for Bacuna.

It’s claimed that Rangers have given the green light for Bacuna to make an early exit from the club.

The report does though note that Birmingham are unable to cover Bacuna’s current wages at Rangers, but a deal is still expected.

Bacuna seemingly hasn’t impressed Giovanni van Bronckhorst and will now be allowed to leave Rangers before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Rangers only signed Bacuna in January, landing him as the final first-team signing of the Steven Gerrard era.

Bacuna, 24, had been exiled at Huddersfield Town because he wouldn’t sign a new contract, so Rangers swooped in.

Gerrard seemed excited. Branding Bacuna a ‘major talent’, it was seen that the Curacao international would bring some creativity to the Rangers side.

That just hasn’t happened though, and Bacuna has barely even played for Rangers.

With just 12 Rangers appearances to his name, totalling only 366 minutes, Bacuna has managed one goal and three assists.

Having been given the big sell by Gerrard, it looks like Van Bronckhorst just doesn’t fancy the former Groningen ace.

Rangers didn’t pay a penny up front for Bacuna, instead striking a deal based on incentives and sell-on clauses – many of which won’t have been hit.

This is a little disappointing for Rangers, who are giving up on a signing mere months after bringing him to Glasgow.

It does though show that Rangers need to re-focus their transfer approach. Too many players are being brought in that just doesn’t improve the first XI.

The likes of John Lundstram and Jack Simpson are being linked with swift exits too, with Rangers in danger of standing still.

Van Bronckhorst needs to make sure Rangers do bring in first-team quality players in the future, as the club can’t afford to keep signing players like Bacuna.