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Quartet of Rangers gems means Lawrence Shankland shouldn’t be considered

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Lawrence Shankland strongly suggested that he wanted to re-join Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers last month.

Lawrence Shankland celebrates his goal with team mate Lewis Morgan of St Mirren during the BETFRED Cup Group Stage between St Mirren and Edinburgh City at St Mirren Park on July 30, 2016...

We don’t know who Rangers’ next target is in January, but we do know with relative certainty who it won’t be: Lawrence Shankland.

The Rangers-daft striker is ripping it up with Ayr United in the Scottish Championship and has netted 28 goals across all competitions this season.

Such goalscoring abilities was always going to get him noticed by bigger clubs and, according to Wales Online, Celtic and Swansea City are interested in the 23-year-old hitman.

Shankland himself encouraged Gers boss Steven Gerrard to throw his hat into the ring last month by admitting to BBC’s Off the Ball that he has ‘unfinished business’ at Ibrox, having spent time with the Glasgow club when he was younger.

But the truth is that Gerrard just doesn’t need him – not now and definitely not in the near future.

The 38-year-old has just snapped up Jermain Defoe on an 18-month loan to complete a hat-trick of very capable senior number nines, with Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty also there.

But Rangers also have a backlog of talented young strikers. There’s Ryan Hardie, who is with the senior team in Tenerife after being recalled from Livingston, but then there’s also Dapo Mebude, Zak Rudden – who’s tearing it up on loan at Falkrik at the minute. – and Andy Dallas.

They are aged 17, 18 and 19, while Hardie is 21.

Bringing in somebody of Shankland’s talents looks exciting but it would block some of the Blues’ stars of tomorow from making waves in the first team and, given their promise, that wouldn’t be all that smart.

30th November 2018, Tannadice Park, Dundee, Scotland; Scottish Championship football, Dundee United versus Ayr United; Lawrence Shankland of Ayr United scores from a penalty for 4-0 in the...