It's fair to assume Steven Gerrard came down on Nathan Patterson like a ton of bricks when news of the kid’s Covid breach reached his ears.
But having delivered his message in no uncertain terms – and Patterson and his four team-mates who joined him at a party will learn their SFA punishment on March 25 – Gerrard also recognises that young players who make errors of judgment need not be hung out to dry forever.
The Rangers manager has publicly backed Patterson to put his misdemeanour behind him and forge a career for himself at Ibrox.
And the 19-year-old repaid that faith in Prague on Thursday, deputising for captain James Tavernier and making a huge contribution to the 1-1 draw with Slavia that has opened a path to the last eight of the Europa League.
A late, lunging block to deny the Czech side a goalscoring opportunity was the highlight of the teenager’s night and in Tavernier’s continued absence, Gerrard won’t hesitate to throw Patterson into the right-back berth again in the second leg at Ibrox on Thursday.
Gerrard said: “He was outstanding. I think he has become a man on Thursday. This was probably the biggest game of his career, in fact it is for sure. He’s had a really big few weeks emotionally and he has stepped into the captain’s position and played with maturity.
“He has a massive future and we just need to keep guiding him, shaping him and improving him. We have got a player here.”
Gerrard revealed that he had to make tough decisions to clear a pathway to the first team for Patterson – and he thinks Rangers and Scotland will benefit.
He added: “You’ve seen the moves I’ve made in terms of the squad.
“I moved two or three full-backs on because I had big confidence in Calvin Bassey and also Nathan.
“We decided not to extend Jon Flanagan and moved Matt Polster on.
“And that’s because we knew we had to make room for Nathan. There are only so many days you can spend in the academy and only so many games you can play well in before you need to make the next step.
“The club have rewarded him on a couple of occasions with contracts so we’ve shown in the past the confidence and belief we have in the kid.
“Now he just needs to keep growing and learning. We want him to become a real elite player and full-back for this country and club, more importantly.
“It’s an exciting future for him. He’s young and he just needs to be looked after in the right way. He’s in the right place.”
While Patterson’s future is assured, Gerrard knows that talks with senior pros such as Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Steven Davis and Allan McGregor about extending their stays at Ibrox are required in the near future.
Now that the league has been won, the Ibrox gaffer will soon turn his attention in their direction.
He added: “Listen, we just need time to breathe.
“It’s only days and hours after a league title win, the first in 10 years. Everyone is on an incredible high and this game has come around extremely quick.
“We have managed to set it up nicely for next week.
“We’re well aware of all the players’ contracts and where they sit, and what we need to do. In the right time we’ll go to people we want to improve or extend deals. Myself, Ross Wilson and the board are all aware of that.
“But we need time to breathe first. Those moments will come. We don’t have a game at the weekend and then we have an international break on the horizon. Then it’s the summer.
“In time people will be rewarded for what they have given the club over the last three years.”
