I fully expect that everyone will be jumping on the bandwagon now to criticise Umar Sadiq after his performance at Hampden against Aberdeen, but in the circumstances, I think people should give the lad a break. I actually thought he did ok, especially in the first-half.

Steven Gerrard of course came out and told him to up his game about a month ago now, and he must have done so to get the nod to play in such an important game, even with Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty out.

There were other ways that the Rangers manager could have gone, with most people expecting Eros Grezda or even young Glenn Middleton to play up through the middle. Who is to say that would have seen the light blues fare any better?

As a team, Rangers aren’t the finished article, and Sadiq too is obviously a work in progress. He wouldn’t be here on loan from Roma otherwise.

He might not be the easiest on the eye and he certainly has to work on the timing of his runs in behind to avoid being caught offside so much, but I saw glimpses from his performance that suggested there may be a player in there somewhere.

So, I hope that people don’t write him off after one game, particularly as he has hardly seen a lot of game-time. It was a hell of a match to be thrown into, so I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, and hopefully the fans will too.

All that being said, I think that Steven Gerrard will still be looking to get another couple of bodies in during the January transfer window, and the Aberdeen game may just have crystallised that in his mind.

I actually believe that there is decent depth in this Rangers squad, but perhaps a little bit more quality will be required to come in, especially if the club are still competing near the top of the Premiership, the Scottish Cup and the Europa League.