Gary McAllister revealed that mental health concerns were at the forefront of his considerations when Rangers players entered the lockdown.
Fortunately, his fears turned out to be unfounded – and he even hopes that a forced absence from the game has strengthened his marginalized’s determination for the new campaign.
Players like Brandon Barker, Jordan Jones, Matt Polster, and even Greg Stewart had to play in supporting roles before the Covid 19 pandemic finally led to the start of the season.
Most of the responsibility for the campaign lay on the shoulders of a few – 14 players played 25 games or more – and McAllister and Steven Gerrard hope to spread the burden more evenly over the coming months.
The Light Blues returned to full contact training earlier this week before the new campaign, which begins on August 1st in the Premiership, begins in the Premiership before taking into account the Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen the following season the following season .
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McAllister has physically and mentally given his squad a clean health certificate and hopes that the players who have spent the last season outside have used their time outside the game to push for more recognition.
He said: “We have been away for a long time and people think fitness will deteriorate, but we were very keen to stay in touch with the players to see if they changed mentally.
“We had a lot of zoom and departmental meetings and actually tried to see if someone’s appearance or behavior had changed.
“Lockdown is difficult for everyone from all walks of life, and we were very aware of it, especially for the younger players and those with children who need to deal with topics like home tuition.
“We stayed in touch with most of the players. The well-being of the players is very important to us and we wanted to see that with our own eyes.
“Regarding the revival of careers, this was transferred to the so-called marginal players, guys who may only be marginalized.
“As difficult as blocking was for everyone, it was probably a good time and opportunity for them to go out and analyze, reflect on and think about areas where they could perhaps reinforce or improve it.
“Maybe they thought: ‘I can use this time to my advantage to be mentally stronger and better prepared. ‘Generally we have between 16 and 18 people who came back hungry.
“At the beginning of the ban, we monitored the training on the GPS system and received results from the individual programs that were given to each player.
“It is difficult to motivate yourself, but they have achieved their numbers and the goals that the sports scientists have set for them.
“We came back and worked on small pods in small groups in three sections of the field, but we’ve been in full contact for the past three or four days and it’s more fun for everyone.
“There is spring in the crotch and we were really excited about the fact that the players came back really fit. We were impressed and the past three or four days have been excellent. “
Alfredo Morelos spent much of his lockout helping the needy in his Cerete community in his Colombian homeland.
It has become a common sight when he returns to South America, but also the headlines that link him to moving to other countries.
Series A giants, Napoli, are the latest to be associated with the frontman, but McAllister insists there have been no offers, though he’s not naive enough to get a change out of control.
He added: “We don’t have any offers for Alfredo. Every player in every club has a prize, but until a bid lands and the club thinks it’s a number that fits them, we’ll keep going.
“Alfredo has to stay focused and get ready for the early games of the season. Speculations about his future are repeated quite often – the manager is asked about him a million times.
“He is part of a team and under contract and is no different from others here. He came back with the same attitude as everyone else to show the manager that he should be part of the starting XI on August 1st.
“We have a large squad and you need to get the manager’s attention at this early stage.”
In the meantime, Calvin Bassey announced that he is ready to face Borna Barisic as a left-back on the Rangers’ grid.
The 20-year-old came from Leicester last month and was officially demonstrated at Ibrox yesterday.
Bassey said to Rangers TV: “I can’t wait to get started. I am a young player and I want to prove that I am good enough to play football for the first team.
“I support myself, but at the same time Borna is a great professional with great experience.
“I’m just looking forward to this kind of friendly rivalry, but at the same time I’m adding a few little things from his game to my game.
“We also have European football, so hopefully I can put my skills to the test.
“The Europa League is a huge tournament and I can’t wait to get started.
“To be the best, you have to measure yourself against the best, and European football gives us the opportunity to see what level we are at. It will be a big challenge – but an exciting one. “
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