As Rangers and Celtic clashed for the fifth time this season in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden, it was a familiar outcome.
If not an all-too familiar story.
Rangers fans got a glimpse of a more pragmatic approach to dealing with Celtic’s forward line and – but for some seriously questionable refereeing – might’ve eked out a well-fought 1-0 victory at Hampden.
Philippe Clement too changed up the starting XI and surprised a lot of people by not including John Lundstram from the beginning.
Hesitating when it came to substituting the midfielder on in the game, the fact Lundstram wasn’t introduced earlier might well have cost us the Scottish Cup.
Nico Raskin’s tired challenge on Paolo Bernardo allowed the midfielder to stream forward for Celtic’s goal just moments before the Belgian was hooked for the Scouser.
And in a brief if not helpless cameo at the end of the match, Rangers fans might just have seen John Lundstram in a blue jersey for the final time.
Lundstram ‘set for Rangers exit’
Lundstram replaced Nico Raskin with minutes to play at Hampden and could do little to resurrect a shellshocked Rangers.
The midfielder, 30, had been dropped from the side after a Celtic Park collapse where an own goal and then reckless challenge killed Rangers’ Scottish Premiership title hopes.
The midfielder had also begun to tire towards the end of the season and when the physical and mental fatigue kicked in, experienced a downturn in form.
And all of this against the backdrop of a reportedly imminent move to Turkey.
Both Borna Barisic and John Lundstram have been linked with end-of-contract moves to Trabzonspor and as a result might’ve played their final game for the Gers.
With the Barisic deal much more public, the situation with Lundstram does remain a little up in the air.
But with Clement recently claiming that the ‘water is too deep’ between both parties in terms of wages, it’s increasingly unlikely that John Lundstram will be around next season.
Transfer pressure mounting at Ibrox
One of six whose deals are up in Govan, Philippe Clement hasn’t been shy in criticising Rangers’ recent handling of player contracts.
You get the feeling that the Belgian has been somewhat backed into a corner with an imperfect John Lundstram.
A trusted lieutenant, Clement has used the midfielder extensively and had been clear that he ‘expected’ a new contract to be signed.
But with Rangers collapsing in the title race, and Lundstram’s downturn in form/issues with fatigue impacting it, fans are expecting big changes in the summer.
The contract situation of high-earning Lundstram means that any new deal represents an almighty risk if the midfielder cannot lift the title next season.
It’s looks like an increasingly unlikely financial and playing risk that Rangers will take.
If Lundstram had the option of another year, or another year regardless, then perhaps Clement would’ve had the time to alter the path of the midfielder’s Ibrox destiny.
Should Lunny walk out the door this summer, then it’s a three-year stint at Rangers full of ups and downs ending on back-to-back, competition-altering Old Firm defeats.
Who’d have thought that come the final whistle v Leipzig?
