SPFL's One2Watch: Livingston striker Ryan Hardie
Tuesday 22 January 2019 12:42, UK
Can Ryan Hardie fire the goals to earn Livingston a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership and work his way into Steven Gerrard’s plans at Rangers in the process?
Last week the 21-year-old striker signed a one-year contract extension at Ibrox, which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2020, and he has returned on loan to Livingston where he spent the first half of the season.
That the West Lothian side were keen for the Rangers academy product to return is no surprise - Hardie spent nearly three months on the sidelines with a foot injury but still managed to finish 2018 as the club's top scorer so far this term.
Since returning to action at the start of December, Hardie has been prolific, scoring five goals in six Premiership games to help ensure that Livi are sitting a comfortable seventh in their first season back in the top flight since 2006, ahead of the resumption of league action after the winter break.
Indeed, his goals-to-game ratio (for players with a minimum of five goals) is the best in the Scottish Premiership this season at 0.71.
But what of his long-term future? Hardie was injured when Gerrard got his pre-season training camp under way at Rangers, limiting his chances of impressing the new manager.
His return to Livingston, where he also spent the second half of last season on loan, scoring eight goals in 17 games to help the club in their promotion push, has shown that he is capable of scoring goals in Scotland's top division.
With former loanee Umar Sadiq failing to provide adequate cover for Alfredo Morelos this season, Rangers have relied heavily on the Colombian and Kyle Lafferty up front and Hardie's festive goal glut prompted talk of a return to Ibrox.
The signing of Jermain Defoe put paid to that but Hardie was given an opportunity to impress Gerrard and his staff on a mid-season break in Tenerife, and the Scotland U21 international appears to have done just that.
"Obviously the first time I was involved this season was the trip to Tenerife, and I was over the moon with that chance to go and show what I can do as it was the first time I had been away with the manager [Gerrard]," Hardie said after signing his new deal last week.
"When he came in at first, I was injured and I only got playing again at the start of December, so that trip was a chance to show the gaffer what I was about. He would have seen what I was like from afar, but he just wanted to have a look at me and assess me with a view to next year.
"Thankfully I have done enough to secure another contract and I am looking forward to kicking on."
Hardie made his debut for Rangers in the League Cup in September 2014 and scored his first goals for the club later that season, with a double against Dumbarton in the Scottish Championship. Livingston represent his third loan club after fruitful spells at Raith Rovers and St Mirren.
A similarly productive second half of the campaign at Livi should ensure Hardie has that opportunity to kick on back in Glasgow and to try and compete for a spot in Gerrard's squad.
