Glasgow Rangers showed plenty of fighting spirit under Barry Ferguson once again during his interim period in charge as they came back from 2-0 down to draw against Aberdeen.
The result was made even better by the fact that Ross McCausland was sent off for the Ibrox outfit after receiving a second yellow card just five minutes before the interval.
With the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final tie coming up against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday evening, it was evident that Ferguson was thinking ahead to that game, making nine changes to his team.
In the grand scheme of things, the result wasn’t important, especially as the domestic season is all but done for the Light Blues.
The game did present an ideal chance for several fringe players to make an impression against the Dons. The likes of Danilo, Rafael Fernandes, Findlay Curtis and McCausland were all given starts at Pittodrie.
Given the most important match of the season is fast approaching, none of the aforementioned players took their chance to shine against the Dons.
In McCausland’s case, his brief cameo on the pitch could well turn out to be one of his last games for the Ibrox side.
Why Ross McCausland was sent off against Aberdeen
The Northern Irish winger was given his first league start since the 2-1 loss to the same opponents all the way back in October 2024.
He received an early yellow card before he chopped down Aberdeen player Topi Keskinen in what was a senseless challenge that saw him receive a second yellow and ensured the Gers would play the rest of the game with ten men.
After breaking into the first-team squad last season due to an injury crisis, McCausland looked to have a bright future ahead of him, although there were certainly a few things to work on.
The current campaign hasn’t exactly been much of a success, as the winger has featured 25 times for the club, with only seven of those coming in the starting XI.
A tally of just three goals and a solitary assist has been registered from those matches, hardly numbers which have given the Ibrox faithful much confidence in his abilities.
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Across his 13 league matches this term, the youngster has registered only 1.2 shots per game while creating no big chances, averaging just 0.6 key passes per match and succeeding with only 0.8 dribbles each appearance for the Light Blues.
In Europe, these numbers decrease even further, as he has averaged no key passes per game while succeeding with 0.7 dribbles and recording only 0.4 shots a match in the Europa League.
Goals
3
0
Assists
4
1
Key passes per game
1.4
0.6
Big chances created
3
0
Successful dribbles per game
0.9
0.8
It has become evident that he isn’t up to the required standard to be a regular at the club, especially if the new manager wishes to embark on a title challenge next season.
If a decent offer arrives this summer, then McCausland should be offloaded at the first available opportunity, no doubt about that.
He isn’t the only one who must be sold when the summer transfer window opens either, as someone who was signed just last summer must headline the list of those expected to depart Rangers.
Bajrami's performance against Aberdeen in numbers
Nedim Bajrami was making his first start for the club since a 3-1 victory over Dundee United in January. With a chance to make a solid impression ahead of the second leg against Bilbao in midweek, it’s fair to say that the Albanian failed to take his chance.
Deployed in a deeper role than he is perhaps accustomed to, Bajrami struggled throughout the match, taking just 44 touches and completing only 25 of his 32 passes against the Dons.
Bajrami lost possession ten times, registered no shots and failed to deliver an accurate cross throughout his time on the pitch. The former Sassuolo man was subbed off with 25 minutes remaining and quite frankly, must not start again in Light Blue.
Journalist Ben Banks of Glasgow World gave Bajrami a match rating of just 4/10 for his performance on Sunday and it is clear he has regressed massively since arriving at Ibrox last summer.
With yet another lethargic display for the Light Blues, Bajrami may have started his last game for the club.
Why Bajrami could be sold this summer
The midfielder joined Rangers in a deal worth around £3.4m towards the end of the 2023 summer transfer window.
It appeared as though Philippe Clement had landed a decent signing, as Bajrami did showcase his talents during his first few months at Ibrox.
He scored on his first European start for the club against Malmö in September, adding goal involvements against Aberdeen, Dundee and Motherwell, with his goal against the latter sending the Gers through to the League Cup final.
Since the start of 2025, however, Bajrami has recorded only four assists in all competitions, with none coming in Europe.
Stevie Clifford, who runs the Four Lads Had a Dream, criticised the player back in January after a string of poor performances, saying: “I’ll highlight it again, it’s not singling him out, but Nedim Bajrami is not offering enough at all. We need him to influence games & be involved, largely anonymous so far, again. £4m is big money to do it in these type of games & he’s miles off it so far.”
He hasn’t become any more influential since Clifford said this and his spell in Glasgow may be short-lived, especially if a new coach comes in who wants to sell a few players to raise transfer funds.
If an offer comes in that would see Rangers recoup the majority of the £3.4m they paid for him, then the board will certainly be keen on accepting this, without a shadow of a doubt.
Some transfers work out well, while others don’t. That is the nature of the beast. In Bajrami, Rangers thought they had a player who might take them to the next level, especially considering he had shone at Euro 2024 and in Serie A. Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite worked out like that.
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