Ryan Hardie suggests Rangers caretaker Graeme Murty has given him boost he needs

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Glasgow Rangers forward Ryan Hardie is fighting for his Ibrox future this season.

Ryan Hardie has told The Sunday Post that Graeme Murty has given him the boost he needs to prove that he deserves a new contract at Rangers this season.

Hardie is one of a number of exciting youngsters coming through at Ibrox, but he appears to be facing a fight for his Rangers career with the 20-year-old well into the final year of his contract.

And while his lack of game-time under Pedro Caixinha may have hinted that he was fighting too much of an uphill battle trying to earn that new deal, Murty has handed him two substitute appearances during his time in caretaker charge. And Hardie seemed to suggest that if he earns a new contract at Rangers, the current caretaker boss would have played a major role.

“This is my last season at Rangers, so I’m playing for a contract. Getting a sniff with the first team has certainly given me a boost,” he told The Sunday Post.

“I’ve worked with Graeme Murty for a couple of months when I wasn’t in the first-team, so he’s had the confidence in me to take me up to the first-team and get me involved.

“He’s a big factor in me being confident and being who I am today.”

With Rangers not boasting a large group of strikers in the first-team currently, and with Eduardo Herrera yet to really prove why Caixinha brought him to the club in the summer, it would certainly be no surprise if the Gers hierarchy wanted to discuss fresh terms with Hardie at some point.

If he realises his potential, he could arguably be an excellent player to have at the club. But, having said that, not handing him that new deal straight away may turn out to be a smart move, intentional or not, as he will feel that he needs to prove himself every time he gets a chance and taking on that challenge may boost him in the long-run.