International boss claims Rangers star was 'not happy' with game time upon Ibrox return from national team
The Light Blues striker suffered World Cup heartache as his side were hammered in the qualification play-offs.
Bojan Miovski has returned to Glasgow from international duty after being benched for North Macedonia in their World Cup play-off against Denmark.
As requested by Rangers, the 26-year old withdrew from the North Macedonia squad ahead of their upcoming friendly with the Republic of Ireland after both their World Cup dreams were shattered on Thursday. Miovski was brought on just after the hour mark in Copenhagen when his side were already three goals down. The final score was 4-0 to the hosts, who omitted Rangers winger Andreas Skov Olsen from their entire squad.
Miovski has been a regular feature for his country since his international debut in 2021, making 38 appearances and scoring nine goals. Coach Goce Sedloski’s decision not to start the Rangers man was something of a surprise and Miovski has reportedly not responded well to the starting XI snub.
Miovski ‘not happy’ with International minutes
Sedloski also chose to bench Aleksandar Trajkovski, who didn’t get any minutes at all in the Denmark defeat despite being the most experienced player in the squad. As he also has opted to go back to his club, the North Macedonia boss confirmed neither he or Miovski were ‘happy’ with their lack of minutes.
He said: “Aleksandar Trajkovski was not happy that he did not start in the first team, but at this moment I believe that he is not physically at the level necessary to respond to the demands of such a match. Our plan was, if necessary, for Trajkovski to get a chance in the final, but the course of the match did not require that.
“There is no reason for anyone to feel offended. The situation was similar with Bojan Miovski, who was also not happy that he did not start, but it must be accepted that there are 23 players in the national team and no one is guaranteed a place in the starting lineup.”
Rangers star struggling for minutes on two fronts
Miovski’s lack of game time for his country reflects the story of his season at Ibrox as he has often found himself behind Youssef Chermiti in Danny Rohl’s selection pecking order. Furthermore, with the January addition of Ryan Naderi, the Macedonian’s minutes in Govan have been even more depleted.
Before signing in the summer, the striker had struggled for form at top-flight La Liga side Girona, however, he still came to Ibrox with a sterling reputation given his previous heroics for Aberdeen. He scored 44 goals in 98 games at Pittodrie, where he enjoyed the best spell of his career thus far.
Having played just 15 minutes for Rangers over the past four games, two of which being Old Firms, there were doubts over whether Miovski would be in Rohl’s plans for the title race run-in. However, the fact he has been recalled from international duty suggests he may still have a part to play.