'No sugar-coating' Liverpool loanee on impact of ex-Gers boss's no-nonsense Ibrox approach
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Speak to some Ibrox fans and they'll pine for a return to the Steven Gerrard era Rangers.
Whilst Old Firm rivals Celtic dominated the Liverpool legend's first three seasons in the Ibrox dugout, Rangers were a work in progress and Gerrard had broad enough shoulders to manage the task.
It was a team effort of course but what Steven Gerrard tried to do in those early seasons was bring in young talents that he knew and could hopefully make better.
Whether they were ready for the relentless standards of Gerrard's Rangers was another discussion of course, as is the suggestion standards have catastrophically slipped since Gerrard's departure.
Now, one of Steven Gerrard's loan signings from Liverpool has been discussing his time at Rangers and why the ex-Ibrox manager made it one of the most enjoyable times of his complicated career.
Sheyi Ojo 'enjoyed' Rangers spell
Rangers fans will remember Sheyi Ojo from that season on loan at Ibrox during Steven Gerrard's tenure.
Once the brightest talent in the Liverpool academy, Ojo suffered a devastating injury early on in his career from which he has struggled to truly recover.
Rangers offered the right-winger an outlet back in 19/20 and it was on Sheyi Ojo to go and deliver in front on an expectant Ibrox.
An initially bright start at Rangers eventually faded, with Ojo's shining Ibrox moment that long-range Europa League wonder strike against Feyenoord.
The goal delivered a 1-0 win on the week that Rangers legend Fernando Ricksen eventually lost his battle with MND.
Now at Maribor in Slovenia, the 27-year-old has spent the bulk of his career out on loan and trying to find a home with loan stints at seven clubs, including Cardiff, before he signed for the Bluebirds permanently.
But in a new interview with the Athletic, Sheyi Ojo has been talking about what made his time with Rangers a bit different to the rest.
Claiming Steven Gerrard gave him 'the confidence' to go an play, the winger has given an insight into the no-nonsense approach of the ex-Rangers manager and perhaps what's currently missing from Ibrox.
Ojo has also tipped the current Al-Ettifaq boss to go on to make a huge name in the game as an elite manager.
Rangers loanee on Steven Gerrard
"Probably giving you the confidence to play," said Ojo when asked what he learned from Steven Gerrard.
"He knew a lot about the players he brought in, he knew me from Liverpool, we had a good relationship.
"He was honest, sometimes he'd say, 'You can do more', sometimes he'd say, 'Well done', sometimes he'd be p***ed off because we lost a game or whatever, he was very direct and honest with how he felt
"Sometimes you need that in football as there's a lot of sugar-coating.
"I think he's a top manager and I think he's definitely going to prove to be an even better manager in the future than he's already shown."
