Michael Beale insists Rangers are standing by Nnamdi Ofoborh despite his apparent social media dig at the club - saying he 'doesn't see' how his cryptic message could have been about them.
Ofoborh signed for Rangers more than two years ago but is yet to play for them as he receives treatment for a heart problem. He set tongues wagging with a series of posts to his Instagram story which said "the mistreatment of the last two years will come out," and it later appeared he and the club unfollowed each other on the social media site.
There has so far been radio silence from the club on the matter while Ofoborh hasn't posted on social media since. And Beale says he feels for the 23-year-old who has had his "life turned upside down" by his health issues. And he insists there's no way the cryptic post was about Rangers, revealing he has recently seen a third heart specialist in his bid to get back playing.
Beale said: "It’s a really personal matter. Nnamdi is a boy we signed from Bournemouth and I was here and in and around the scouting of Nnamdi. It was one we were quite excited about. He then went to Wycombe and had the problem after doing a medical with Rangers, the problem appeared after that.
"Since he’s come to Rangers it’s been difficult. He’s never been able to train with the group, he’s never been able to play with the group. He’s been away and seen the best cardiologists we could find. We’re now supporting him to see a third. It’s fair to say those opinions have not always been perfect so he’s managed to get back into light training but our advice for the club from the specialists is just light training that me, you or anyone could do and nothing more.
"That’s where we’re at. Nnamdi is a boy I’m close to and I really feel for his situation. He’s a young man who has had his whole life turned upside down in the last two years and he’s finding it really difficult with the feedback he’s been getting.
"But he’s away to see a third specialist now and the club is supporting him on that. The club has been a fantastic support the whole way through the two years. It’s just a really difficult situation. I’m not an expert on it. I’m just trying to support a young boy through a really difficult period for him.
“I haven’t spoken to him about it since the weekend. When Nnamdi is here and able to work he’s here and doing his work and he’s away doing his gym programme as well. You can imagine that moving up from the south to Glasgow and not having a daily programme of playing football he’s not been able to breathe as a footballer. We don’t ask him to come in every day and he’s away now seeing a specialist. He’s been away and seen the best people possible.
“He’s been away and seen the specialist who dealt with Christian Eriksen and Daley Blind as well so everything I feel we could have done as a football club we’ve done, it’s just frustrating for Nnamdi that he can’t do as much as he would like but it’s just us acting on the advice given and sometimes that’s difficult. I don’t see how he could be commenting on the club.”
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