Rangers will see Ryan Hardie return to Ibrox in 2019.
Former Rangers captain Lee McCulloch has told the Glasgow Evening Times that he is a big fan of Ryan Hardie, and believes he offers ‘something different’.
The Gers are undoubtedly in the market for a new striker in January, with loanee Umar Sadiq heading back to Italy after a dismal stint at Ibrox.
That leaves Steven Gerrard with Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty as his main strikers, and another one is certainly needed to bolster the Rangers attack.
Gerrard is likely to bring in a striker next month, but could he actually have a potential solution right under his nose?
Rangers loaned out forward Hardie to Livingston back in June, having enjoyed a superb spell there in the second half of last season with eight goals in 15 games.
Hardie, 21, has come up through the Rangers ranks but has made just 17 appearances for the club, and scored twice against Hearts last week.
Hardie is only set to return to Rangers next summer, but he has now been hailed by ex-Gers captain McCulloch, who admitted that he is a fan of the striker.
McCulloch suggested that Hardie could offer ‘something different’ to the Rangers attack as he can use his pace to get in behind, and feels he could be a solution for Rangers even if he isn’t the main answer.
“I am a fan of Ryan Hardie,” said McCulloch. “He’s a guy I know really well, who is doing well at Livingston again after a lengthy lay-off and he has played in the first-team before. I’m not saying he would be the answer to all the goalscoring problems, but he is something different in that he just wants to run in behind defenders,” he added.
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