The midfielder has been a regular for the club this season but could be returning to the Reds earlier than anticipated

Steven Gerrard has said he will speak to Ovie Ejaria about his future when he and his Rangers side have returned from Austria.

The on-loan Liverpool man was left out of the squad for the club’s final Europa League Group G game, and was also dropped for last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Dundee.

Speculation had mounted ahead of the match that Ejaria was unhappy at Ibrox after he removed all association with the club from his Instagram account earlier in the week.

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And, as reported by the Express, speaking ahead of the Gers’ crucial Europa League tie, Gerrard admitted there is an issue with the youngster.

“Ovie is slightly unsettled at the moment,” the 38-year-old said.

“I chatted to him a couple of days ago and we decided it was better to leave him at home.

“The plan is to talk to Ovie on Friday to see where he his at.”

Should Ejaria decide to return to Anfield, it will come as a real blow to Gerrard and his team.

The midfielder has been a regular in the Rangers side this season and prior to Thursday night had only missed four games from the current campaign.

At this stage it is unaware what the issue with Ejaria could be, but Sky Sports News have suggested it may be to do with the on-loan Liverpool man turning up late for training recently, while the Daily Record claim it is related to his opinion that Scottish football is overly physical.

The 21-year-old is yet to play for Liverpool’s senior side, but spent the second half of last season on loan at Sunderland.

Without Ejaria, the Glasgow outfit endured a disappointing evening in Austria and were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against Rapid Vienna on Thursday, which means they have been eliminated from this year’s Europa League.

On the night, it was a mistake by Allan McGregor in the 83rd minute which eventually proved costly for the Gers. Had Gerrard’s men won they would have confirmed their place in the next round of the tournament