Gary McAllister heaps praise on Rangers teenager Glenn Middleton

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Middleton made his debut for Rangers at Ibrox last time out.

Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister has told Rangers TV, as quoted by the Daily Record, that the Gers “have a player” in teenage winger Glenn Middleton but warned the wonderkid that he must continue to work hard to reap the rewards.

The 18-year-old star made his debut for Rangers in Steven Gerrard’s first game, coming off the bench in the latter stages of the Gers’ 2-0 win over FK Shkupi in the first round of the Europa League qualifying round.

Signed by Graeme Murty, Middleton has since won Scotland Under-21 caps and been a regular, in-form fixture of Billy Kirkwood’s Under-23 side.

He is set to earn a place on the bench once again ahead of Tuesday night’s clash against FK Shkupi, and McAllister was full of praise for the young star but also urged the former Norwich City man to remain grounded.

“Right from day one, he caught the eye. He came to Spain, continued to progress and impress. We saw glimpses,” McAllister said. “He is a young player with power, pace, which is a big asset in today’s football and he has a nice left leg.

“He has done very well and he just needs to build on what he is doing, continue his progress and listen to the advice of the coaches and the manager. We have got a player there.”

Middleton faces a fight on his hands to break into the first team, with the Gers boasting plenty of options out wide in the form of Josh Windass, Jamie Murphy and Daniel Candeias, while Scott Arfield and Ovie Ejaria can play there too.

He could feature at some point during Tuesday night’s clash, as the Gers look to progress into the second round of qualifying in Macedonia with another strong performance in Gerrard’s second game.