The future right now at Rangers is uncertain. With no new manager in sight and a Director of Football post unfulfilled, U20s coach Graeme Murty continues to take charge of the first team.
Whichever direction the club head in there will always be certainties at Ibrox: expectation of success and expectation of dominant football.
With resources for transfers and wages more stretched than they’ve ever been at the club, it’s more important than ever to bring through fresh faces from the youth ranks or attract the best young players available and develop them in the first team. Right now, the fact Murty is taking charge of the first team presents a unique opportunity for some of these stars to get a proper taste of senior football.
We’ve seen with the emergence of Barrie McKay that if an opportunity is given then young players can step up and produce – and even become the best player in the side.
Here are three more young players at Rangers that could feature heavily in the coming years…
Liam Burt
Perhaps the teeanger with the most hype about him at Rangers right now is midfielder Liam Burt. The 18 year old actually began his youth career at Celtic but eventually found his way to the Rangers Academy.
A midfielder with a keen eye for goal, he’s already made first team appearances for the club and looks destined to appear more regularly in the future.
He’s capped at youth level for Scotland at four different age groups and despite his tender age is already turning out for the Scottish U21 side. He also captained Scotland’s U17 team at last year’s UEFA U17 European Championship, highlighting his leadership skills.
Burt will have a great opportunity to impress any new manager coming in and make a case for why he is ready to feature regularly in the first team. If he keeps progressing the way he has been, there’s no doubt he has what it takes to be a star at Ibrox.
Zak Rudden
A young, powerful striker with bags of confidence and ability, Zak Rudden is already performing well above what his age would suggest at Rangers. Having just turned 17, Rudden has been a regular for the U20s Development Side, banging in goals on a fairly regular basis including a hat-trick against Falkirk on the opening day of their season.
Rangers need a striker to step up and start scoring for the first team and the four ahead of Rudden in the pecking order, Kenny Miller, Martyn Waghorn, Joe Garner and Joe Dodoo don’t seem to be getting the job done to the standard required.
Graeme Murty knows all about Rudden’s ability so why not throw him into the team and see what he can do? The pressure is high at Rangers now but the supporters will be far more likely to back young players coming through than the current faltering first-teamers.
Jordan Rossiter
Jordan Rossiter arrived at Rangers last summer with a lot of fanfare and hype but has had his season ruined by injuries, making just six appearances for the club before his spell on the treatment table. Initially picking up a calf injury, it has since been revealed he actually needs specialist treatment for a back problem, which is why he’s been out for so long.
However, he’s still tipped to be a top player for the Gers. The former Liverpool man is an English international at four age groups and it was seen as quite a coup when the Ibrox side managed to land him last year.
At just 19 there’s plenty of time for him to get over his back troubles and force his way into the Rangers first team. If he can live up to his potential he can be a regular for years to come.
