'Got to feel wanted' - Pundit reacts after Rangers defender left for English club, may never return

Philippe Clement and the Rangers coaching staff must have decided they did not rate Johnly Yfeko to let him leave this summer, says Derek Ferguson.

Exeter City confirmed on 23 July they had signed the Light Blues defender on loan with an option to make the deal permanent, despite the youngster only signing a new contract to 2026 at Ibrox last December.

Yfeko made his Rangers debut in the League Cup against Morton under Micheal Beale last season but Ferguson says players must “feel wanted” to wait around for further opportunities.

Having never played under Clement the pundit feels the 21-year-old never got the chance to impress his new manager, and thinks his departure is part of an attempt to clear space for signings.

Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News he said: “He never got an opportunity. I think he played one game in the cup against Morton. He came in, he’s done okay, but these guys have got to feel wanted.

“Clearly he wasn’t going to get the opportunity. What is he now, 20? 21? He needs to play football. So I’m not surprised that he’s decided to go and ply his trade elsewhere.

“But looking at it, these guys have got to get that platform, they’ve got to have that opportunity. So it must be that you’ve got to look at the manager and the coaching staff. 

“They’ve come in, they’ve had a look at him, they don’t rate him and they’ve allowed him to go out the door.

“That’s at the point we are. We need players in the building and we’ve let maybe a promising a youngster go.

“It’s hard to say. We can only judge him on one game and in that game he done okay but you need a run of five or six games at least to show your worth.”

Johnly Yfeko leaves Rangers on loan-to-buy for Exeter City

The Gers boss has tried to be ruthless in clearing players out this summer but has found it much trickier than he would have hoped.

Ridvan Yilmaz’s latest injury suffered against Dynamo Kyiv in midweek, amid ongoing transfer exit links [Krampon Sports, 9 August], has left Clement short at left-back after Borna Barisic departure at the expiry of his contract.

Robbie Fraser and new signing Jefte will form the cover for the weeks the Turk is out, but it appears Yfeko did not convince the Belgian and may not be back.

In other Rangers news, a first-team regular could not hide the fact that something is wrong in the dressing room.

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