Rangers should revive interest in Sunderland prospect Lee Connelly

Follow us on Google Discover

Glasgow Rangers were keen on bringing the young striker to Ibrox when he was just 15 years of age.

What has arguably become abundantly clear at Rangers over the past few months is that the Gers are hoping to bring together a group made up of some very exciting young players who, if they stay together, could have the potential to help reestablish the side as a title-contender and trophy winner in Scotland.

The likes of David Bates, Ross McCrorie, Declan John, Greg Docherty and Alfredo Morelos are amongst the large group of first-team options and stalwarts all under the age of 23, and it appears that the club may be looking to strengthen their young options even further.

The Sun reported at the start of the month that Rangers were rivalling Celtic for a potential deal for Sunderland midfielder Ethan Robson with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign. But perhaps it is another prospect coming through the same ranks that the Gers should keep tabs on, especially as they have had him on the radar before.

The Daily Record reported in January 2016 that the Gers were among the clubs interested in signing 15-year-old Lee Connelly from Queen’s Park before he ultimately made the decision to move to the Stadium of Light.

Now 18, Connelly has been in brilliant form for the Black Cats’ under-18 side, with six goals coming in 11 games. With Chris Coleman’s side desperately fighting for survival in the Championship and only a handful of strikers to pick from, it is surprising that he has not been included in a matchday squad with the first-team as yet.

Connelly – who can also play just off the front man – appears to be progressing very nicely at the moment and clearly has an eye for goal, so perhaps Rangers should consider making a fresh move in the coming months as they could arguably do with greater depth up front given Kenny Miller’s age and Jason Cummings, right now, only being on loan at Ibrox.

How Connelly would feel about a possible move if the chance came up is unclear, but perhaps Rangers should give him a decision to make by showing to him how the path to the first-team is definitely there.

The Gers have a number of young players currently forming a very exciting squad, and they should continue to build on that by not only targeting Robson but by also going after his Sunderland teammate given his red-hot form.