No January move for Joey Barton could tip Rangers outcast over the edge, says former team-mate Danny Mills
Troubled star's former Manchester City team-mate says situation at Ibrox could soon turn 'volatile'
DANNY MILLS fears failing to win a January move from Rangers could send Joey Barton over the edge.
As SunSport’s exclusive pictures show, the controversial midfielder returned to Gers’ training HQ yesterday.
The 34-year-old was ordered back to work after an eight-week suspension for his role in a bust-up with team-mate Andy Halliday and manager Mark Warburton.
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But he remains banished from the first team and will never play for the Ibrox club again.
Mills, a former team-mate of Barton’s at Man City, believes the saga could degenerate further if Gers are unable to offload him when the transfer window reopens.
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He said: “If he doesn’t get a move in the window, that’s when I think all parties will have to really look at the situation because that’s when I think it could turn volatile.
“If there’s a move on the horizon and suddenly it doesn’t come off, he’s going to be doubly disappointed, having to go back in January or end of January and not have had that move and training with the kids, that could just tip him over the edge.”
He signed a two-year deal after leaving Burnley in the summer.
At Turf Moor, he helped the Clarets win promotion to the Premier League and was named in the Championship team of the year.
But his move north has been a disaster with Barton making just eight appearances for Gers. Mills stressed: “Joey’s very, very difficult to understand at times.
“I got changed next to him every day for four, four and a half years, whatever it was at City. I was there every time things went wrong.
“He’s a very, very good footballer. I’ve said before I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is and he expects everybody else to be as good as he thinks he is.
“That’s one of his problems. Occasionally, a switch goes and he just goes off track and he has no empathy, no remorse for his actions.
“From being on the outside, it seems quite clear that Rangers are trying to freeze him out, just trying to upset him. I’ve been in a similar situation before, I’ve seen it happen. I think it’s going to be very, very difficult for him now.”
Clarets boss Sean Dyche said last week he would be interested in bringing Barton back to Burnley.
Mills added: “He said his behaviour was exemplary at Burnley.
“If people were trying to kick him off the park every week, he didn’t rise to that bait at all.
“He can behave himself and do very, very well to a point and then one day, he will just snap. In his own head, he probably feels he hasn’t done anything wrong and hasn’t anything to apologise for.
“He might come back down to England and one of the teams on the verge of relegation might take a chance on him, but it would only be a short-term deal.”