Rangers striker, Umar Sadiq, has opened up about his ill-fated move to Ibrox, revealing that his agents played a significant role in convincing him to join the Scottish club.
Sadiq, who is currently on loan at Partizan Belgrade, spent a disappointing six-month spell at Rangers in 2018, scoring just once in 14 appearances. The Nigerian striker has now spoken out about his time at Ibrox, admitting that he never should have made the move.
“My agents were saying, ‘Go to Rangers, it’s a big club, you’ll play in the Europa League, you’ll get a lot of exposure’,” Sadiq explained in a recent interview. “But I didn’t do my own research, I didn’t know much about the club or the league. I just went with what my agents were saying.”
Sadiq’s decision to join Rangers ultimately proved to be a mistake. He struggled to adapt to the physical demands of Scottish football and found himself out of favor with then-manager Steven Gerrard.
“I didn’t expect it to be as tough as it was,” Sadiq admitted. “The football was different, the culture was different, everything was different. I was young, I was naive, and I didn’t know how to handle it.”
Despite his struggles at Rangers, Sadiq has rebuilt his career in Serbia, scoring regularly for Partizan Belgrade. The 24-year-old has now reflected on his time at Ibrox, acknowledging that he made a mistake by joining the club.
“I learned a lot from my experience at Rangers,” Sadiq said. “I learned that I need to do my own research, I need to know what I’m getting myself into. I need to be more careful in the future.”
Sadiq’s cautionary tale serves as a reminder to young players of the importance of doing their own research and making informed decisions about their careers. His experience at Rangers may have been a difficult one, but it has ultimately made him a wiser and more resilient player.