Rangers are interested in Aston Villa youngster Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.
The Mail reported this week that Rangers are interested in signing Aston Villa whizkid Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.
The young striker was handed a first team debut under Tim Sherwood, and was on the scoresheet for the under-23s in midweek.
Aston Villa’s Rushian Hepburn Murphy in action
The teenager’s contract expires at the end of the season, and Villa face a battle to keep hold of him amid interest from the Scottish giants.
For Aston Villa this is the very worst case scenario, with Hepburn-Murphy arguably the pick of their young talent. Here are three reasons that Rangers’ interest is worrying…
It could actually happen
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
If Villa complacently dismiss Rangers’ interest, they could be in for a nasty surprise. Talented England youth midfielder Jordan Rossiter was tempted away from Liverpool to join the Gers this summer, while they also managed to prise Joe Dodoo away from reigning champions Leicester City.
Rangers boss Mark Warburton has a proven track record of developing talent, and Hepburn-Murphy could be tempted away by the forward thinking boss.
No compensation
Scotland’s Daniel Harvie (L) in action with England’s Rushian Hepburn Murphy
Financially speaking, this is the worst option if Villa are going to lose Hepburn-Murphy.
If he signed for an English club as a ‘free agent’, Villa would still be entitled to a compensation fee which could run into several million pounds.
Scottish clubs are exempt from this system, and Rangers have exploited this in the past year, snapping up Josh Windass and Matt Crooks for virtually nothing, much to the anger of their club Accrington Stanley.
Long-term effects
Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia
Losing Hepburn-Murphy would harm Aston Villa on the pitch, denying them of a player potentially capable of contributing to the first team in upcoming seasons. While they cannot measure exactly what impact he could have made, the better he does elsewhere, the worse it will look.
Off the pitch his departure would highlight an ineptitude of the club to hold onto their brightest prospects, from dating back to the disorganisation at the club in the summer to let it get to this situation, right through to all those currently involved, at their failure to get it over the line.
It would show Villa as having a weak hand, and potentially encourage more sharks to circle, and even tempt Hepburn-Murphy’s teammates into considering their own options.
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