Seldom-seen Lee Hodson could be threatened by Jordan Houston's Rangers emergence

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has barely used Lee Hodson, who was linked with a move to Charlton Athletic in the summer.

Moussa Dembele of Celtic (R) wins a header over Lee Hodson of Rangers (L) during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on March 12, 2017 in...

Lee Hodson did not make the impact he would have hoped for at Ibrox last season. Stuck behind the more adventurous James Tavernier in the pecking order, the 25-year-old right-back was far from a regular starter as Rangers stuttered to a third place finish in their first season back in the Scottish Premiership.

And, with Hodson appearing in just two of Rangers’ first three Scottish Premiership games in 2017/18, it appears that he is unlikely to play a bigger role under Pedro Caixinha this season.

In fact, 17-year-old Jordan Houston may even be a better fit for Caixinha’s attack-minded approach than the more conservative Hodson.

Calvin Miller of Celtic vies Jordan Houston of Rangers during The Scottish FA Youth Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park on April 26, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The talented teenager, who impressed as Graeme Murty’s Under-20s reached the Scottish Cup final last season, lauded Caixinha back in April for placing his trust in Rangers’ highly-rated youngsters with David Bates and Myles Beerman earning rave reviews in the first-team.

And Houston, who was spotted by Rangers at the age of five, has everything required to follow his fellow Auchenhowie graduates into the first team in the near future after being included on the bench during Murty’s time as caretaker manager in February.

However, if Houston does break through into the senior set-up, this may just signal the end of Hodson.

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha looks on during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Hibernian at Ibrox Stadium on August 12, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland.