Umar Sadiq Reveals Terrible Conditions He Faced Under Liverpool Legend Steven Gerrard

11/07/18 THE HUMMEL TRAINING CENTRE Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and new signing Umar Sadiq speak to the media

Former Rangers striker, Umar Sadiq has opened up on how he was treated while at the Scottish side under Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. 

Sadiq told The Sunday Sun that he was disrespected by both the club and the manager, Gerrard who acted unprofessionally.

“All of a sudden, I was told that I could not use the first-team dressing-room any more. Instead, I had to go change with the kids. Then, after a few days, I was also forbidden to park my car inside the training cente.

“I felt humiliated and kept asking what was the reason for the change of attitude. But I never received any answers. Gerrard wouldn’t give any explanation about it, neither to me nor my representatives.”

Loaned from AS Roma for the entire season, Sadiq faults the club and its management for not giving him a fair chance where he made only one appearance throughout his stay. His stay was abruptly cut short by Gerrard placing him in a difficult position to look for another club that would take him for the remainder of the season.

“I believe absolutely that I was not given a fair chance to show what I can do. They made me feel like a stranger. I started only once (in the League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen) and that was when there were no other strikers available.

“As I say, for me everything went wrong after they brought in another striker (Lafferty). Once I put a ‘like’ on Instagram to a post from a fan – and I was fined £20,000, which was absurd.

“And Rangers didn’t even pay me up everything I was due. They still have to give me my salary for December.”

The 22-year-old Sadiq, who now plays for A.C. Perugia in the Italian Serie B, has found the back of the net twice from eight appearances and looks to put his experience in Glasgow behind him. 

The Nigerian U23 feature has also decided to not give a hoot about the fairing of his former club who sit second on the Scottish Premier League table, 10 points from their arch-rivals Celtic.

“I honestly don’t care how they do,” he said.

“As long as I was a Rangers player, I behaved like a professional, giving everything I could of myself to the shirt.

“But now I don’t want to hear about them and what they are doing anymore. In my opinion, they behaved in a disrespectful way to me, both as a player and as a person.

“When it ended, Steven Gerrard didn’t even have the courage to talk to me and tell me what was happening face-to-face.

“That was a surprise to me. I didn’t expect such behaviour.

“How he will do long-term as a manager, I do not know. That is his business and I have my own career to think about.”

Although not called up for the Nigerian U23 squad that faced Libya in a doubleheader, Sadiq will look to improve his form and get his career back on track in order to make either the Olympic team or the senior squad, the Super Eagles.