RangersMedia

If at first you don't succeed...trial, trial again Tuesday, 31 January 2012 13:05 Written by Thommo

There have been no shortage of trialists entering Murray Park throughout January in the hope of winning a deal with the SPL champions. It is no secret that Ally McCoist is desperate to add to his thin squad, in order to boost his options for the title run in. After the impact successful trialist Sone Aluko has made since signing in November, you can not blame the Rangers gaffer for inviting more transfer targets over for a trial before making a final decision on them. 

Enar Jaager was first to touch down in Glasgow in the hope of winning a deal. The Estonian full back is a free agent after leaving Norwegian side Aalesunds and has already earned 85 caps for his country despite being only 27-years-old. Jaager participated in a few bounce games but has since returned to Estonia without being offered a deal. Whether Ally McCoist is waiting for exits before offering Jaager a contract, remains to be seen. 

Honduran Jorge Claros was another player that the Rangers coaching staff were casting an eye over. Like Jaager, the midfielder known as “Pitbull” played in a few bounce games but has returned to his club Motagua empty handed. Since his trial spell, Rangers have reportedly had a bid turned down for Claros, who has 29 caps for his country. Motagua value the 26-year-old at £800,000 and with time running out before the transfer window slams shut, it looks unlikely that McCoist will get his man. 

Dutch attacking midfielder Luigi Bruins will also be hoping that he has impressed during his trial. The 24-year-old is a free agent after his contract with Red Bull Salzburg was ripped up after only three games. Before trying his luck in Austria, Bruins played for Dutch sides Excelsior and Feyenoord but unfortunately his time in the Netherlands was plagued by injuries. 

Bizarrely, there have been two trialists who have ended their trials only 24 hours after arriving. Bosnian journeyman Zlatan Muslimovic spent only a day at Murray Park before heading south to train with English Premier League side Sunderland. The striker is a free agent after his contract with PAOK expired and he is keen to try his luck in Britain. 

Young Nigerian striker Michael Uchebo was the other who only trained at Murray Park for a day. The towering target man plays for Dutch side VVV-Venlo and had an unsuccessful trial with Stoke before Rangers showed an interest. After his short time in Glasgow, there were conflicting reasons as to why the 21-year-old left. His agent claimed that his client did not feel welcome at Murray Park and that Ally McCoist did not even turn up for the training sessions, whereas the Rangers manager said that it was the club’s decision. And to make the situation even more confusing, VVV-Venlo claimed that Uchebo was set to sign for Rangers in a £1million deal. After Uchebo’s short and baffling trial, Rangers promptly ended their interest in the striker.