Middleton gives thanks to Murty for Ibrox rebirth
CHAIRMAN Dave King used his top-table platform at Rangers’ AGM to declare the club’s erstwhile interim manager Graeme Murty as his ‘man of the year’. Glenn Middleton might take the compliment a step further. Fresh from another industrious showing against Villarreal on Thursday night, the young winger credited Murty with saving his career following his abrupt release from Norwich City.
Named as a substitute for an FA Cup tie barely a fortnight after his 17th birthday, Middleton looked set for a bright future with the Championship club until a change in management saw him pushed out of the door within a year.
Hurt and confused by Norwich’s decision to dump him midway through last season, Middleton was quickly picked up by Murty — himself a former Carrow Road coach — on a free transfer and has blossomed since graduating to Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad.
Murty’s seven months of firefighting as Rangers’ caretaker manager last season earned him the plaudits of King but the acquisition of Middleton may yet prove to be the greatest legacy from his time filling in between Pedro Caixinha and Gerrard.
‘It was Graeme who brought me to the club and I can never thank him enough for that,’ says Middleton, who will turn 19 on New Year’s Day. ‘He sort of saved me. I was going through a tough time, so I will always be grateful for that.’
The arrival of German coach Daniel Farke and sporting director Stuart Webber signalled the beginning of the end for Middleton at Norwich but while there were tears and frustration when he departed, a bigger opportunity waited round the corner.
‘I always believed in myself and that I would prove them wrong,’ he continued. ‘One club tells you that you are not good enough and then six to eight months later you are playing at this level.
‘That’s football — it’s all about opinions. I need to keep taking it bit by bit and showing people what I can do.’ Luckily for Middleton — and the wider Rangers fraternity — Gerrard proved to be more open-minded. The youngster made his debut as a substitute replacement for Josh Windass in the first Europa League qualifier against Shkupi and has been involved in all but one of the manager’s match-day squads since. ‘It’s been a bit crazy but at the end of the day I have only made a few starts,’ reflects Middleton. ‘I need to keep it going and can’t get too carried away.’ An injury to Ryan Kent has given Middleton the chance to start the last four games and he has grabbed his opportunity, scoring against Spartak Moscow and Motherwell to take his season’s tally to five goals. He also found the net against Villarreal but was flagged offside after turning James Tavernier’s low cross over the line. ‘I had a feeling I was offside but you have always got to claim,’ he admitted. ‘When you see the flag go up you just switch back on and hope you get another chance. ‘I’m just grateful to have these opportunities to play. Hopefully I can keep impressing the manager and he continues to have trust in me. ‘He has been a massive influence. He has just given me the freedom to play football. Simple as that.’ For Gerrard, Middleton has simply been too good to ignore. ‘I think you show faith for a reason,’ said the Ibrox manager. ‘You see his attributes and how hard he’s working on a daily basis. ‘When we first got Glenn, he was a typical young winger who was really focused on what you do when you’re in possession. He was very direct. ‘But we’ve been working on where he needs to be, what he needs to do and how hard he needs to work for his team. ‘If he gets that side of the game and keeps growing and evolving, he’s going to be a big player.’