CHANGE we need? Maurice Edu still has the audacity of hope. Rangers� American midfielder watched history unfold alongside his countryman and colleague, DaMarcus Beasley.
CHANGE we need? Maurice Edu still has the audacity of hope. Rangers' American midfielder watched history unfold alongside his countryman and colleague, DaMarcus Beasley. The next-door neighbours watched live coverage of the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, with a sense of detached pride.
They would be forgiven a hankering for home. Neither has made a sustained contribution to Rangers' championship challenge so far this season and a series of obstacles are likely to consign both to the periphery for the foreseeable future. Edu has only just recovered from a bruised ankle bone and despite impressive reports of his aggression and athleticism in training, his best hope of short-term inclusion is likely to depend on the identity of the sacrificial lamb at the end of the January transfer window.
Edu arrived with a ringing endorsement from Maurice Johnston and a hefty transfer fee of $5m going in the other direction to Toronto FC. He has made only two appearances and has encountered a central midfield bottleneck, with Barry Ferguson, Pedro Mendes and Steve Davis more established and experienced alternatives.
The long-term absence of Kevin Thomson, and the banishment of a seemingly bored Brahim Hemdani, has made Edu the first-choice holding midfielder in a team that has evolved from last season's 4-1-4-1. Indeed, there is a theory that Thomson's knee injury scuppered a £4m move to West Brom that Edu's arrival would have compensated for. Thomson's return next season will merely add to the competition.
Edu has already listened to recommendations of a loan move to keep his skills sharp but he is having none of it. "I want to focus on getting into the team, nothing else," he said sharply. "A couple of people have suggested it going on loan but I want to make my mark here."
Edu's long-term prospects are considerably brighter than Beasley's. The winger is out of contract this summer and has fallen to the back of the line for the left midfield position after a series of frail performances. His younger colleague will have no such problems with the physical demands of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League but Edu dismissed the suggestion the pair have become codependents during their first-team hiatus.
"It has been a motivation for both of us," he said yesterday as he helped promote Rangers' friendly match against AC Milan at Ibrox a fortnight today. "You either start getting down and depressed about it, in which case you are going down the wrong path, or be positive and work hard. I am optimistic that my time here will come.
"It would be silly for any footballer to say they are happy when they are not playing but I knew the deal when I came here. Everybody has a role to play and guys I spoke to all gave me a heads-up on the situation. DaMarcus explained that it was very competitive here and you have to really focus on your football. There are a lot of talented players in my position and I have to be patient. The coaching staff have been up front and honest with me about it and have given me some advice that will hopefully help me get into the team."
The uncertainty surrounding Barry Ferguson's future could help his cause. With Kris Boyd against the idea of moving to Birmingham City, regardless of Rangers agreeing a £3.75m fee, Sir David Murray will now be hoping to receive offers for other assets in order to alleviate the short-term cashflow problems at the club. The elevation of John Fleck for the victory against Falkirk brought a youthful vitality to Rangers' play but Edu cited Freddy Adu as a cautionary tale of excessive expectation on prodigious talent.
The American teenager was hailed as the saviour of Major League Soccer when he emerged on the scene at DC United. Since then, he has suffered premature burnout, an unsuccessful spell at Real Salt Lake and left the States to escape the suffocating pressures. He has recently left Benfica on a season-long loan at AS Monaco as he tries to rebuild his career at just 19.
While Walter Smith has been criticised for not taking a chance on Fleck sooner, Edu believes patience is the most prudent approach. "John has done very well but I don't think you should put too many expectations on such a young player from so many people," said Edu. "He is a great young player with a great future. He is very confident but very humble with it.
"I saw what happened with Freddy. In some ways, they tried to put the whole future of US soccer on to Freddy's shoulders and it was unfair. He was a young guy just trying to enjoy his football, like I was. He was thrown straight into the fire to basically get the whole country out of turmoil.
"He has done well to cope with the pressure. Everybody has growing pains but he is only 19 and still has a bright future."
Edu is only two years older. Having watched Obama's inaugural oration, he is confident the new president can fix an ailing America. It has inspired Edu to rejuvenate his career on the other side of the Atlantic. "It is a big moment in the history of the world, something that will affect not just Americans," he said, in a rare but uplifting moment of footballer discussing politics in a press room.
"During the election campaign I didn't think there would be a great deal of interest but I was surprised by how big it was over here. I'm enjoying it in Scotland and the standard is better than other people may think. Life is good."
