Kenny Dalglish has no sympathy for the Rangers Covid Five and reckons Steven Gerrard won't hold back from ensuring they are held to account properly.
Nathan Patterson, Calvin Bassey, Bongani Zungu, Dapo Mebude and Brian Kinnear all attended a party in breach of Covid social distancing rules last weekend.
The club promptly announced they were investigating and Gerrard later admitted the club are liaising with the SFA and Scottish government over how best to deal with the incident.
Despite the tender years of the likes of Patterson and Bassey, Dalglish is adamant there is no excuse and remains perplexed by their behavoir.
And the 69-year-old is frustrated to see they "brought negativity to the front door" at a time when Steven Gerrard's squad is performing so well at home and abroad.
He said: "Steven Gerrard has been left bitterly disappointed by the actions of Nathan Patterson, Calvin Bassey, Bongani Zungu, Dapo Mebude and Brian Kinnear.
"The five of them have no excuses.
"They knew the rules, but they chose to break them. They weren’t forced into doing so. It’s all of their own making.
"Patterson and Mebude are 19, and Kinnear a year older, while Bassey is 21 and Zungu 28.
"For me, it doesn’t matter what age you are, you still know when something is wrong.
"If they have gone to a party, then they deserve to be punished.
"Had they gone to visit a grandparent, it would still have been wrong – but you could have half understood it.
"But a party? Come on.
"At a time when Rangers are flying high in the Premiership and doing well in Europe, it brought negativity to the front door at Ibrox.
"Steven has been left to deal with a problem that was not of his making, but he will not shirk from it."
The Scotland hero was especially upset to see top prospect Nathan Patterson as one of the fateful five.
The right-back has been steadily integrated into the first team as James Tavernier's understudy and the captain's injury against Antwerp would have handed him an incredible chance to cut his teeth at the highest level.
And Dalglish is sure he well be furious with himself over a terrible decision that has robbed him of the opportunity to show his value.
He said: "They will be feeling terrible, I’m sure, and Patterson, in particular, will be really disappointed with himself.
"He is very highly-rated, and was recently awarded a new contract.
"He has been in the first-team picture for over a year now, and he is trusted to do a job on the park when called upon. That’s a huge compliment.
"He most likely would have been given an opportunity on Thursday night during the Europa League win at Royal Antwerp.
"James Tavernier had to go off injured midway through the first half, and Patterson would have been his natural replacement.
"What an opportunity the boy has missed due to his poor decision-making off the park.
"It will now be down to Steven what happens to the player in the longer term.
"Sometimes getting a wee fright at an early age isn’t a bad thing.
"As long as the lad shows remorse and learns from it, then he may well be able to bounce back from this setback."
