Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg has cooled speculation over Connor Barron returning early to Rangers, backing the midfielder to make his mark at the Riverside Stadium.
The 24-year-old Scotland international has yet to play a single minute of first-team football since joining the Championship club in a late deadline day move from Ibrox. Barron fell out of the picture at Rangers amid a major recruitment drive last summer and was allowed to leave by Derek McInnes in search of game time.
Barron's wait for first-team debut
The switch to the Riverside has not worked out so far for Barron, who continues to wait for his first-team debut. He was an unused substitute in the Championship win over Wolves last weekend, following an appearance in a friendly against Newcastle during the international break.
Last week, Barron's former Ibrox boss Barry Ferguson suggested that Rangers should cut the midfielder's spell away from Glasgow short in January and reassess his options. However, Hellberg has backed Barron and Leo Castledine, who has also struggled for minutes, to make an impression before the end of the campaign.
Hellberg's message to his squad
Speaking to the Northern Echo, Hellberg said: "My job is not to give people things or be kind. You have to measure things all the time. Sometimes it's down to competition, sometimes it's down to the performance, how they train and all those things.
"For both Connor and Leo, they've done a lot of good things lately on the training ground and sometimes for a player it can be down to a little bit of luck. Both of them are doing everything they can on the ground."
Hellberg pointed to the example of teammates who waited for their opportunities. "Look at last season, [Alex] Gilbert wasn't even close but he gets that chance and did very good things. Now it's the same thing," he said. "There was no-one thinking Neto [Borges] should play a game here and now look at him. It's important, in tough times, to keep working and take your chance when you get it."
Ferguson's call for a return
Speaking last week, Rangers legend Ferguson said: "You would need to bring him back, and listen, if he's not going to be part of the plans he needs to go somewhere to play. He is good enough to play.
"Wee Connor, in my opinion, is a really good player. He is at an age where he needs to play every single week. If he is not going to get any game time - which I am surprised at Middlesbrough, why would they take him if they are not going to play him? - you would need to bring him back and maybe try to get him another loan."
Barron, an Aberdeen academy graduate, will look to earn his first minutes for Middlesbrough as the season progresses, with Hellberg insisting the chance will come for those who keep working hard.
