Glenn Middleton left Championship side Norwich City to sign for Scottish Premiership giants Rangers in the search of first-team football.
Before being catapulted into the hot seat after the sudden sacking of Pedro Caixinha in August, Graeme Murty had cultivated an excellent reputation in charge of Rangers’ U20 side.
So it is perhaps little surprise that a number of players who made their mark on Murty at Auchenhowie. David Bates, Ross McCrorie and Jamie Barjonas, have all been offered opportunities in the first-team in recent months.
And there is little doubt that Murty will be keeping a close eye on the development of 18-year-old Glenn Middleton, who is already making a positive impression behind the scenes.
The Scotland U19 star became Rangers’ sixth signing of the January transfer window when he joined his boyhood club from Norwich City – but he didn’t move to Ibrox just to impress in the second or third string.
“Glenn expressed a desire to play first team football,” Norwich academy director Steve Weaver said, in quotes reported by the Scottish Sun, when asked why Middleton had decided to leave Carrow Road.
And the teenage winger certainly won’t have done his prospects any harm with a fine performance, and well-taken winning goal, in a 3-2 development squad win against Dutch side Utrecht on Saturday.
Middleton slammed home a first-time shot at the back post to seal a victory against a side managed by former Ibrox favourite Michael Mols to enhance his reputation further.
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