Defoe determined to leave player-coach role at Rangers

 

Jermain Defoe ‘stands poised to leave his player-coach role at Rangers’ just weeks after his former England team-mate Steven Gerrard left to become Aston Villa manager.

The 39-year-old striker has been with Ibrox since January 2019 and signed a one-year contract extension last summer, which included a stipulation for him to join the club’s coaching staff.

Accordingly, Defoe has made just two appearances in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, both as a late substitute and in just a few minutes of action.

The Athletic Report that Defoe, who was part of the four-man coaching team appointed as caretaker when Gerrard left for Villa in mid-November, is on the brink of leaving the club.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has since been appointed as Gerrard’s successor and he brought in Dave Vos, Roy Makaay and Arno Phillips to bolster the existing coaching setup.

Rangers will also beef up their attacking options when Cedric Itten is recalled this month from his loan deal with Bundesliga club Greuther Furth, but his return is unrelated to Defoe’s departure.

Defoe, who scored 20 goals in 57 appearances for England between 2004 and 2017, was a Bournemouth player when he was initially loaned to Rangers in 2019.

That move was made permanent when his contract with Bournemouth expired in June 2020, with Defoe scoring a total of 32 goals in 74 appearances for the club.

He helped them achieve their first Premiership title in ten years last season by scoring four goals in 15 league games.

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Van Bronckhorst has Rangers on track to defend their Premiership title as they are six points clear of Old Firm rivals Celtic ahead of their resumption after the winter break next week.

They will take on Stirling Albion in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup later this month and have a delightful draw with Borussia Dortmund in the first knockout round of the UEFA Europa League next month.