Kyle Lafferty wants a Rangers return

The 29 year-old was yesterday released from Norwich City after a frustrating spell at the Canaries.

And now that he is a free agent, Lafferty wouldn’t mind a move back to Ibrox, although he concedes game-time is his number one goal.

The Enniskillen man previously spent a four year spell in Scotland, making over 100 appearances for the Gers before leaving in 2012. With the Scottish giants then in the midst of a financial storm, Lafferty exercised his right to refuse to transfer his registration over to the ‘new’ club.

Speaking last week, though, he revealed he would be open to a return.

“The way I left was disappointing and I have thought about it over and over again and the situation a lot of players found themselves in,” he told the Daily Record.

“It was a difficult time and if I had the opportunity again I would stay and fight for the club and try to help them as much as possible.

“The longer you stay at a club like Rangers the better you adapt and although it didn’t end the way I would have liked, I still have a lot of great memories and I would like to go back and play for Rangers again one day.”

Lafferty also extended praise to new Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha, who was unbeaten in his first five games in charge before recent back-to-back defeats to Celtic.

“It was a good appointment for Rangers,” said Lafferty. “Hopefully he will be given an opportunity to build something and sign his own players because this is the club’s first season back in the top flight and it will take a little time to get the club back to where the fans want it to be.”

Lafferty didn’t start a single league game in his last two seasons at Norwich, although he did spend a brief two month period on loan at Birmingham last season.

The forward’s lack of playing time was a frequent bugbear of international boss Michael O’Neill, who has coincidentally been linked with a move to managerless Norwich.

Reports surfaced yesterday that the Championship club have held informal talks with a number of candidates for the vacant role, including O’Neill.

Meanwhile, former Glentoran winger Jordan Stewart has been released from Swindon Town.

The 22 year-old’s spell at the County Ground was hampered by a knee injury that saw him undergo surgery in November.

Stewart netted 23 goals in 67 appearances for Glentoran, earning his move to the League One club in 2015.