STEVIE: UMAR IS WAY SHORT OF MY GERS XI
FROM BACK PAGE month’s Betfred Cup semi-final with Aberdeen – but has warned Sadiq he’ll need to radically improve if he wants to step in.
The Gers boss – who is gearing up to face Livingston tomorrow – said: “We need more in every department. There is not one thing where you think, ‘Well, if he does that a bit better, he’s in.’ He needs to do more.
“We understand he is a young player. I’ve spoken to him numerous times one-on-one.
“He has had individual training. We’ve done everything as a staff to help him.
“However, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work it out. He hasn’t had much game time. He’s frustrated by that.
“But as a player, when that’s not happening, the only one who can sort it out is yourself.
“The one person who can sort it out is Umar. He needs to push himself in every department. He needs to realise he is at a big club.
“Competition for places is big in every single position.”
Morelos and Lafferty’s absence at Hampden has opened the door but Gerrard insisted he has other options for the Dons clash if Sadiq can’t step up to the plate.
He said: “There’s a possible opportunity there. But just because he is a No.9, it doesn’t give him a given right to take that void. There are other options.
“We’ve got other players who can do the job.”
Gerrard has continued to back Morelos despite picking up a needless yellow card for dissent that ruled him out of Hampden in Wednesday’s stroll against Ayr.
The Light Blues boss said: “I sympathise with him because I thought it was a yellow-card incident on him.”