Ally McCoist was critical of Umar Sadiq’s performance for Rangers against Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon, calling the striker “raw and naïve” after making the wrong decision when presented with a goalscoring opportunity.
Steven Gerrard’s side lost in the League Cup semi-finals at Murrayfield, but Sadiq could have made all the difference if he’d chosen to stay on his feet after rounding goalkeeper Joe Lewis for a tap-in. Instead, the 21-year-old went down under pressure and was booked for simulation.
McCoist said to BT Sport (h/t This Is Futbol): “He (Sadiq) looked like a young 19 or 20-year-old centre forward, he did some good stuff but he was raw and naïve. I just don’t know why he went down there, I can’t believe it. He could have kept his feet and just slotted it into an empty net.”
Sadiq joined Rangers on loan from AS Roma and has been short of playing time under Gerrard this season, making only two starts in all competitions. The Nigeria international only started against Aberdeen due to Kyle Lafferty being cup-tied for the clash and Alfredo Morelos being suspended, but he didn’t make the most of his chance.
McCoist concedes Sadiq wasn’t terrible at Murrayfield but believes he was guilty of poor decision-making that may limit his playing time moving forward. Gerrard previously said the Rangers striker had been on the periphery due to poor application in training and a lack of quality, and it appears very little has changed.
Stats from Transfermarkt.
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