Steven Gerrard told BBC Sport on Thursday that Liverpool loanee Ovie Ejaria is unsettled at Rangers, and if he does return to his parent club it could signal a change of transfer strategy for the Gers boss.

What did he say?

"I had a chat with him a couple of days ago and he's slightly unsettled."

"The next time I see Ovie is on Friday and we'll have a conversation then and see where we go from there. Liverpool are aware of the situation and we're in dialogue with them."

What did he really mean?

By mentioning that Ejaria's parent club Liverpool were aware of the situation, Gerrard hinted that there is a real possibility that the 21-year-old midfielder may leave Rangers before his season-long loan deal expires.

The London-born youngster got off to a bright start north of the border, and he has played 28 times so far this season under Gerrard, with all but five of those being from the start.

However, his performances have dropped off recently and Gerrard's latest comments perhaps go some way to explaining why. The England U21 international was not even involved in the squad as the Gers crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday, losing 1-0 to Austrian side Rapid Vienna.

Change in strategy

If Ejaria does return to Merseyside, it could signal a change in strategy for Gerrard in the transfer market.

When he joined Rangers in the summer, it was a clear tactic for the Liverpool legend to attempt to sign players that he knew from his time spent working with the academy at his former club.

However, with ex-Liverpool players like Jon Flanagan and Jordan Rossiter struggling for game time and Ejaria's fellow loanee Ryan Kent out injured, we could see Gerrard divert his attentions away from the Reds and to other sources that would provide the necessary quality for a title challenge.

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