Rangers have given young players a chance but more to fill gaps created by injuries – Ryan Hardie should be next.
As long as Graeme Murty remains in caretaker charge of Rangers, young striker Ryan Hardie can harbour hopes of an opportunity.
The 20-year-old Auchenhowie graduate made only his second appearance of the Scottish Premiership season as academy coach Murty took charge of the senior side for the first time since Pedro Caixinha’s sacking in Saturday’s 3-1 win at Hearts.
There’s no guarantee, however, that Hardie will remain on the verge of the first-team once Caixinha’s full-time successor is announced. As such, one of the most exciting young attackers in Scottish football will still be wondering when, if ever, he will get an opportunity to prove himself via a prolonged run in the senior set-up.
By this logic, you wonder whether Hardie would have already become a regular first-team member had he been plying his trade on the green half of Glasgow instead.
While Rangers have given opportunities to their next generation in recent months, the likes of Aiden Wilson, David Bates and Myles Beerman perhaps owe their professional debuts more to a defensive injury crisis rather than the club’s willingness to provide a platform.
By contrast, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers barely misses a chance to see a fresh-faced youngster up close. Balancing domestic and European demands, Rodgers has rotated his squad this season with Michael Johnstone, Calvin Miller and particularly Anthony Ralston on the verge of the starting XI.
As such, Celtic have a real local feel to their squad and have developed a great reputation for developing homegrown players and selling them on for a profit – a sound business plan in a less than opulent Scottish top flight.
Whoever replaces Caixinha at Ibrox, whether Derek McInnes, Alex McLeish or Tommy Wright, must take a leaf out of Celtic’s book and make better use of the club’s impressive array of exciting youngsters. Hardie, as well as Jamie Barjonas, Liam Burt and co, are the club’s next generation and must be treated as such,
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