Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has suggested that teenage defender Leon King will now be around the first-team under him.
The Gers have just sold a homegrown prospect for big money with Nathan Patterson joining Everton.
That’s what Rangers have been hoping for in recent years; prospects coming through, making the first team and earning them big money.
Billy Gilmour left a little early, but Patterson’s rise shows that Rangers are at least starting to get on the right track.
There is another young defender earning high praise at Rangers, with centre back King highly-regarded at Ibrox.
King, 17, signed a new long-term deal at Rangers last week, committing his future to the Gers amid mounting rumours.
The Birmingham Mail reported in December that Aston Villa were keen to lure King away from Ibrox and down to the West Midlands.
Villa boss Steven Gerrard gave King his first-team debut for Rangers and allegedly felt he could secure a £200,000 deal.
Rangers have moved to block that by giving King a new contract, and Gerrard’s replacement seems very happy with the teenager.
Van Bronckhorst has told The Scottish Sun that he is delighted to see Rangers establish a pathway for young players.
Van Bronckhorst confirmed that King will now be part of the Rangers first-team setup moving forward.
“That’s what we want – a pathway for our talents to come from the academy to the first-team. It’s very important for the club and it’s good for Leon, who’ll be involved with the first-team now,” said Van Bronckhorst.
It’s obviously early for King to be playing for the Rangers first team, but you can understand why he is now around the setup.
Jack Simpson looks set to leave this month whilst Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun are free agents this summer.
King now has a chance to show Van Bronckhorst what he can do in training, just as Patterson did with Gerrard.
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