Bongani Zungu's time is up at Glasgow Rangers, according to former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan, who thinks that Steven Gerrard doesn't trust the midfielder anymore.

What's the word?

Zungu has been removed from the Rangers squad after breaching coronavirus protocols, having made only his fourth start against Hamilton.

The 28-year-old played 60' minutes of the Scottish Premiership fixture with Hamilton before being hauled off for Ryan Jack, but he will likely find himself heading for the Ibrox exit after he was one of five players fined by the police for attending an illegal party in breach of the Covid-19 lockdown rules.

It has been suggested that Rangers had the option to buy the Bafana-Bafana midfielder for £2.7m when the summer window is open in a few months' time.

Whelan thinks Gerrard has already deemed the South Africa international surplus to requirements, and he cannot see a way back for the former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder after falling so far down the pecking order at Ibrox.

"He’s already gone, absolutely gone – there’s no way you’re going to be signing a player like that if you can’t trust them," the former Premier League striker told Football Insider.

“The biggest word in everyone, in any manager, is can I trust my players on the pitch? Can I trust them off the pitch? Can I trust them to be the right character that needs to be embedded into this football club?

“The straight answer there is absolutely not."

Get rid of him?

It sounds harsh, but Zungu has no chance of forcing his way back into the Rangers first team. When Zungu returns, he'll find himself well below the likes of Steven Davis and Jack in the pecking order and fighting for scraps.

Unfortunately for the South African, his performances in general have done very little to justify his temporary acquisition in the first place - against Hamilton, he was graded as one of the worst players on the pitch by SofaScore in the 1-1 draw with the Accies.

As per WhoScored, his numbers fall well short of those of Davis and Jack. Both players currently average more clearances, interceptions and tackles per match than the South African, which suggests that they both operate at a higher level.

In fact, there now does not appear to be a place for Zungu, after Gerrard admitted it's unlikely he will be joining Rangers on a permanent basis.

On this basis, the Scottish giants should begin to plan for his possible departure in the summer which looks increasingly more and more inevitable with each passing minute. He simply hasn't been worth the hassle and grief he has caused Gerrard, both on the pitch and off it.

AND in other news, Rangers are leading the race to sign KV Oostende striker Fashion Sakala...