Rangers have long-term plans for Glenn Middleton and Ross McCrorie

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The Rangers duo will spend the 2019/20 season out on loan.

Rangers Academy Director Craig Mulholland has reassured supporters that the club will be following the progress of Ross McCrorie and Glenn Middleton closely while out on loan, The Scottish Sun report.

McCrorie has already made the switch to Portsmouth, while Middleton is reported to be on his way to Hibernian (The Daily Record).

It’s prompted concern from some supporters who feel that the players may be better served getting chances in Steven Gerrard’s side.

However, Mulholland insists both moves are to aid their Rangers development, not hinder it.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the Gers man said: “Ross and Glenn have both got long term contracts, so that’s the key – they’re not going to clubs to go somewhere else because they only have a year left of their contracts.

“To make them a starter for the club rather than someone who just comes off the bench, they might need another bit of experience at another club and it’s getting the right loan.

“We’re not just sending players out on loan and saying on you go, we are getting footage back every week that gets shared among the management team.”

With the standard of Scotland’s reserve league poor and currently no system in place to introduce colt teams into the Scottish lower leagues, Mulholland reckons that the loan market will continue to be an important part of the club’s youth policy.

It makes perfect sense.

If McCrorie, or Middleton, is not going to get 20-30 matches at Rangers this season then getting regular week-to-week action elsewhere can be incredibly helpful.

You need only look at the impact that a player like Ryan Christie is now making at Celtic to see the positives in young players leaving Glasgow to play their football elsewhere. Christie spent a substantial amount of time at Aberdeen and is now considered as one of the Hoops’ most vital players. That’s unlikely to be a coincidence.

Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty tread a similar path last season at Shrewsbury Town and is now involved on the fringes of Gerrard’s team, with a good chance of making an impact in 2019/20.

The management team at Ibrox clear see a similar way forward for their two latest exports and ultimately that could be of great benefit to the players and to Rangers.