Steven Gerrard quit Ibrox viewing Joey Veerman as the one that got away. Now the coach who gave the PSV ace his big break has warned Rangers they will have extra reason to rue their former gaffer’s failure to get his man if they don’t get to grips with him on Wednesday night.
The story behind Gerrard ’s foiled interest in Veerman is one of the many intriguing sub-plots surrounding this week’s final Champions League eliminator at the Philips Stadion. Gerrard started his final few months in Scotland desperate to get his hands on Veerman, then starring for unfashionable Dutch outfit Heerenveen.
But when the cash required to meet the now 23-year-old’s £7million asking price failed to materialise, it proved to be the beginning of the end for Gerrard’s Ibrox tenure. Within weeks he was grumbling about how Gers “hadn’t spent a penny” over the course of the previous two windows. By November the former Liverpool icon had jumped ship to Aston Villa.
Now it’s down to successor Gio van Bronckhorst to deal with the aftermath of that failed pursuit, with Veerman now staring for PSV
Eindhoven – the side who stand between the Light Blues and a return to the Champions League groups for the first time in 12 years.
But Robert Molenaar, the former Leeds and Bradford defender who handed Veerman his pro debut when he was starting out with boyhood club Volendam in 2016, expects to see him playing a far bigger role in Wednesday’s second leg than he managed in the 2-2 draw in Glasgow.
“Rangers missed their chance,” he told Record Sport . “If Joey succeeds at PSV then he’ll be moving from Eindhoven to an even bigger club, maybe in England, Italy or Spain. He’s had a great first year but needs to keep going.
“But he had an impact with goals and assists last term and has started this season well too. I see a big future for him. He has done really well since joining PSV.
“He speeds up the game and is doing the same things for PSV that he did with Heerenveen and Volendam. He adapts to the level he’s at and then just does what he does. What he does looks so simple but it’s all down to a good touch, good vision and the ability to pass with great accuracy.
“I don’t think had as big an impact against Rangers as Ruud van Nistelrooy would have liked but you could see the fluidity in his game at Ibrox. For me, he’s now one of the top players at PSV already and I expect him to show that in the second leg. If he plays to his full potential it will be difficult for Rangers to stop him.”
Monaco have already discovered that to their cost, with Veerman netting in both games as van Nistelrooy’s side dumped the Ligue 1 giants out in the last round. A move abroad may have to wait but Molenaar reckons international recognition is just around the corner.
“There’s been a few people saying he should be in contention for the national team,” he said. “He’s got some big competition from the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Frankie de Jong if he wants to play in that attacking midfield role. So he’s got some proper players to get past. But he’s very steady and is getting better all the time.”
Veerman was just 17 when Molenaar gave him his shot, introducing him to the first-team action in Holland’s second tier with village outfit Volendam.
“Now he’s moved on to Eindhoven but it’s not so far from home,” said his old mentor. "Had he moved from there to Glasgow, it would have been a bigger step for him as a person, especially being away from his family for the first time. But that’s off the pitch. On it, he’s just Joey, no matter where he plays.”
Molenaar, now managing NAC Breda, continues to keep a close eye on his former pupil but it was the performance of Van Bronckhorst’ s men that drew his attention last week. He even flagged up Gers’ high-pressure pressing game to his players before they ran out for a game in the Dutch second tier last week as he highlighted his countryman’s template for success.
And he believes that high-octane gameplan is Rangers’ best chance of securing group-stage glory. He said: “I enjoyed the intensity of the Rangers players in the game last week.
“I even picked a few clips out to show my own team before we played a league match on Friday night. The way they pressed the ball, especially in the first half, to make sure it stayed down the wings was a great example of how to put pressure on a team when you don’t have possession.
“It slipped a bit in the second period and PSV were able to pass it around a bit easier. But I wanted to show my team that style of play Rangers have and it’s something I used in my pre-match presentation.
“They had such great intensity. It takes hard work and commitment but Rangers had that for big spells and PSV struggled to deal with it.
“PSV got the draw, however, so they’re slight favourites to qualify because they play the second game at home. I’d say they have the slight upper hand in quality but maybe not in physicality.
“Rangers’ best chance is to make a fight. I’m not sure PSV would enjoy that. But Rangers need a goal too. If they can get score early, I can see Rangers stealing it.”
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