Rangers are said to have taken the player on trial shortly before Steven Gerrard’s arrival at Ibrox.
A player Rangers reportedly took on trial in May 2018 came back to haunt the Gers on Friday.
Michael Ruth, who Rangers are also said to have continued to monitor throughout the following campaign, ultimately joined Aberdeen from Queen’s Park last summer.
And it was Ruth’s two goals that knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Youth Cup at the quarter-final stage earlier.
Ross McAusland pulled one back for the young Bears, but the Dons’ lead could not be overturned.
Ruth, who has played for Scotland at youth level, travelled with Rangers to a tournament in Dusseldorf, Germany, according to The Sun.
And the same publication claimed that both Rangers and Hibernian were in the mix for his signature before Aberdeen pounced.
By that point, the Gers had already added another talented teenage striker to their ranks in Nathan Young-Coombes, formerly of Chelsea.
Young-Coombes excelled at last year’s Alkass Cup, which Rangers won, and has been tipped to make a first-team impact later this decade.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
