Rangers ‘Warrior’ Connor Barron is Finished at Ibrox Because of Dragojevic

Rangers signed Vanja Dragojevic from Partizan Belgrade for £4m in the summer, and while he is yet to make a big impact for the Light Blues, there is no doubting his big potential.

Dragojevic has found it difficult to get a look in as Rangers have soared up the Scottish Premiership table in recent weeks, winning their last six league games to move within two points of Old Firm rivals Celtic at the summit.

They are also through to the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup under Derek McInnes, having beaten the Hoops 3-0 at Ibrox, before beating Martin O’Neill’s men again a week later at Parkhead in the league.

Rangers’ fine form has come even though they have lost both Youssef Chermiti and Lawrence Shankland to long-term injuries, reducing the firepower available to the former Hearts boss.

Dragojevic has made seven appearances in all competitions for the Glasgow giants so far, with four of those being starts.

The issue for the 20-year-old is that Dan Neil and Nicolas Raskin have locked down a strong central midfield partnership in recent weeks, which is limiting the minutes for him and Tochi Chukwuani as a result.

It’s no surprise that it might be taking a young player who has left his home country for the first time to settle, but McInnes said it all when the club confirmed the signing of Dragojevic in July.

“We are really excited to bring Vanja on board. He’s got huge potential, really exciting attributes, and boasts the character to play in this environment.

“To captain a club the size of FK Partizan at such a young age tells you everything you need to know about the respect he commands and the leadership qualities he already possesses.

Meanwhile, McInnes decided that Connor Barron wasn’t in his plans for this season, and he joined Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough on a season-long loan deal on deadline day.

The Scotland international is yet to play a single minute for Kim Hellberg’s men, and has only appeared in the squad in their previous two league fixtures.

Barry Ferguson Calls for Barron Recall

via Reuters

Rangers legend Barry Ferguson has called upon the club to recall the 24-year-old in January if his situation continues, as he is a player who needs to be playing football.

He said: “He (Barron) hasn’t even kicked a ball, he hasn’t even been on the bench! You would need to bring him back, and listen, if he’s not going to be part of the plans he needs to go somewhere to play.

“He is good enough to play. Wee Connor, in my opinion, is a really good player. He is at an age where he needs to play every single week. If he is not going to get any game time – which I am surprised at Middlesbrough, why would they take him if they are not going to play him?

“You would need to bring him back and maybe try to get him another loan.”

If McInnes didn’t want Barron, who Ferguson has also described as being a ‘warrior’, at the start of the season, it’s difficult to see that he would suddenly welcome him back in January and start playing him, especially if Rangers continue on their current impressive run.

The former Hearts boss has plenty of central midfield options available to him, and there are two key takeaways from his comments on Dragojevic from when he signed.

McInnes clearly believes in the Serbian star after he captained Partizan Belgrade as a teenager, and a tall midfielder with leadership skills could be vital for the club if he is thrust into important games this season.

The 55-year-old also made it clear he’s looking forward to working with Dragojevic in the ‘years ahead’, which shows this transfer was for the long-term, and he expected a bedding in period.

Dragojevic still has a big part to play in a Rangers shirt and his presence in the squad and potential for the future is another reason why Barron won’t play for the club again.

The 24-year-old isn’t a youngster anymore and McInnes has made his stance on the midfielder clear.