Which of these five Rangers starlets will Pedro Caixinha include in his first-team plans?
With financial restrictions preventing Rangers from making a splash in the transfer market, embracing their prosperous academy system could be the best option available to Pedro Caixinha.
But who is waiting in the wings for an opportunity?
Liam Kelly
Wes Foderingham appears to have silenced doubts about his reliability with a string of virtuoso performances since the turn of the year and the January addition of Jak Alnwick means Rangers appear in good hands going forward.
However, in 21-year-old Liam Kelly, they have a more than capable deputy. Joining the club at the age of 10, Kelly is yet to make his senior bow but, after appearing on the bench on occasions last season, a stand-out loan spell at Livingston has offered a timely reminder of his potential.
Ross McCrorie
Formerly the captain of Rangers’ Under-20 team and a Scotland youth international to boot, it’s perhaps no surprise that the 18-year-old centre-back has such belief in his own abilities.
In a Q&A with supporters on the Rangers youth Twitter page, McCrorie stated that he is ready for first-team action at Ibrox. An impressive loan alongside former Gers coach Ian Durrant at second tier Dumbarton, coupled with the inconsistencies of Rob Kiernan and Danny Wilson, means McCrorie may get the chance to back up his self-confidence.
Liam Burt
A Scotland international from Under-16s to the Under-21s, Liam Burt might have expected more this season than one fleeting cameo appearance against Hearts in December. Yet, the 18-year-old continues to showcase his talents with the Rangers reserves, his 40-yard wondergoal in a Youth Cup tie with Hearts adding to the suggestions that Burt (below, far left) is the real deal.
Did we mention Rangers nabbed him from Celtic’s academy?
Billy Gilmour
You aren’t relentlessly linked with almost every major European club imaginable unless you’re one supremely talented teenager. However, Gilmour is exactly that. Called up to train with the first-team squad in January, Mark Warburton did everything he could to ward off interest in the 15-year-old from the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern and Barcelona, the Scottish Sun reported.
Now, the task falls on Pedro Caixinha to ensure Gilmour doesn’t fall into the trap that claimed a certain Islam Feruz.
David Bates
Like McCrorie, Bates’ first-team prospects have certainly been boosted by the lack of quality defenders in the Rangers squad. The 20-year-old completed a permanent move from Raith Rovers earlier in the year and has been training with the first-team squad. Although the fact that Philippe Senderos has been showing Bates the ropes doesn’t exactly bode well…
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