Steven Gerrard will not stand in the way of Ovie Ejaria’s return to Liverpool.
The on loan midfielder has failed to settle at Rangers and is finding the physical demands of Scottish football a challenge.
Ibrox boss Gerrard held crunch talks with Ejaria today after the 21-year-old left training early on Tuesday and was told to stay at home and not travel to Vienna.
It’s increasingly likely Ejaria will have his loan move cut short as Gerrard insisted he won’t hold an unhappy player against his wishes.
Ejaria arrived at the Hummel Centre shortly before lunchtime yesterday before talks with Gerrard later in the afternoon.
Speaking before the discussions, Gerrard said: “Sitting here right now, it’s a concern we might lose Ovie.
“I need to have an honest conversation and see where his head’s at and where he sees his future and I also plan to speak to Liverpool.
“At times Ovie has looked fantastic but I think his form has dipped slightly.
“He is a very quiet kid and doesn’t give you much so I might have to dig deep to try and find out what’s going on.
“He’s a young kid, living away from his family. There might be other stuff going on in his life I’m not aware of yet.
“The reality is he’s a Liverpool player and they have almost got to take charge of this. Yes, we’ve got a loan situation with Ovie but we wouldn’t keep a kid who was unhappy.
“I wouldn’t stand in any kid’s way whether he was signed with us or on loan. I want players here who are committed and want to help and want to play here.”
Asked how much of Ejaria’s issues were personal and professional, Gerrard added: “Right now, sitting here? To be honest, I don’t know.”
The London-born player is an introvert and it’s understood he has not been finding the more combative style of the Premiership to his liking.
Gerrard said: “I need to find out exactly what’s in his head. Where does he want to be and where does he want to play his football? Then I’ll speak to Liverpool and together we’ll make the right decision for the kid.
“Ovie is very respectful and talks with the players in the dressing room but he is the type of kid who does like to be alone. That doesn’t mean he’s a problem. He’s a very quiet and reserved kid but he’s a fabulous footballer at times which we’ve all seen.”
Gerrard confirmed the return of Umar Sadiq to Roma after an ill-fated loan spell and revealed the positions he’s keen to strengthen in January, even if Ejaria stays.
He said: “I don’t think we need drastic changes in the next window but I’m looking for players of quality at the top end of the pitch.
“We’ve had two very poor results and two performances that I haven’t been happy with and which we’ve made complicated when we shouldn’t.
“I know when we find it hard in certain games and that’s an area I’ll try and address but it’s very clear we’re a better team this year to last.”
Gerrard was stull mulling over the might have beens after his side failed to secure the victory against Rapid that would have seen them progress to the last 32 of the Europa League.
He said: “I am extremely proud of the players and what they achieved but I can’t help thinking it was a bit of a missed opportunity.
“I can’t ask my players to give me anymore. Right from Shkupi through four qualifying rounds and into the group stage they gave me everything.
“Everyone knows it was a horror story 12 months ago and it was our job to get some pride back and we have done that.
“But what this has done has given me unbelievable confidence to come again. Hopefully if we get the chance to go on another European run next season we will be in a much better place.
“The players are well aware of the support they have had and it has whetted my appetite and theirs to go again.
“When we pulled up at the stadium on Thursday night all we could see was Rangers fans - thousands and thousands marching into the stadium.
“All the new players who maybe weren’t educated on Rangers when they arrived certainly are now. They have to learn and grown and come again.”
