Rangers will face Warburton’s 2016 target in Europa League clash

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Mark Warburton reportedly wanted to sign Feyenoord’s then-Reading midfielder during his spell in charge of the Scottish Premiership powerhouses.

A lot has changed in three years at Rangers.

Cast your mind back to November 2016; A Gers side managed by Mark Warburton were forced to rely on a rare Clint Hill goal to secure a share of the spoils away at Ross County with a team featuring Rob Kiernan, Joe Garner and Barrie McKay floundering en route to the most frustrating of draws.

And with Rangers struggling from a chronic lack of creativity during that stalemate at Dingwall, HITC sources told us that Warburton was hoping to inject a bit of thrust into the engine room by signing the highly-rated Liam Kelly from Reading.

A talented young midfielder, he was even compared to none other than Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta by Royals coach Jaap Stam, as reported by the Reading Chronicle.

Now, three years on, Kelly is now set to make his first appearance at Ibrox.

Rangers failed to convince Reading to part company with their prize asset during the final few weeks of the Warburton era but Kelly did belatedly bid farewell to Molineux in July. The Republic of Ireland youngster headed across the continent to join 2017 Eredivisie champions Feyenoord on a permanent deal.

And a player from a Celtic-mad family who has never even set foot on Scottish soil, as reported by the Daily Record, now has the chance to prove his worth to a club he could have joined if Warburton had got his wish.