Matthew Shiels signed a new Rangers contract last week.
Rangers handed teenage left-back Matthew Shiels a new contract last week as the defender continues to impress in the club’s youth and reserve sides – but does Steven Gerrard’s faith suggest an exit is inevitable?
Shiels, 18, signed a new three-year deal at Ibrox alongside highly-rated midfielder Stephen Kelly last week, with the latter even training with the first team and being named on Gerrard’s bench.
A Scotland Under-19 international, Shiels is clearly rated highly by Rangers coaches but he has a serious amount of work to do to prove he deserves a run out in the first team.
Borna Barisic is arguably Rangers’ first choice left-back after completing a move to Ibrox from NK Osijek in the summer for a fee of £2.2million, while one-time England international Jon Flanagan has also moved to the club.
Flanagan has played at left-back in the majority of his 10 Rangers appearances, despite being right-footed. Andy Halliday has also appeared on the left side of defence, even though he is naturally a midfielder.
The faith in Shiels then surely drops a huge hint on Lee Wallace’s future at Rangers, with the left-back recently omitted from the Gers’ Europa League squad.
With Shiels being given the chance to impress until 2021 and cover aplenty on the left side of defence, Gerrard has surely suggested that Wallace has no future at Ibrox with his contract set to expire in May.
The former Gers captain was expected to be on the chopping block anyway, after last season’s suspension following a changing room altercation with Graeme Murty and Kenny Miller.
With Shiels joining Flanagan, Barisic and Halliday in contention for the left-back spot, Wallace’s future seems as good as over at Rangers.
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