Rangers have recruited former Reserves skipper Max Ashmore to a role as an Academy scouting assistant, three years after he left the club for Ross County.
The 21-year-old took part in an interview promoting the Rangers Youth Development Company for the club’s website and says he’s delighted to be back.
“To be given the opportunity to return to a club like Rangers, having been here for so long as an academy player, was great for me and a no-brainer to accept,” he told Rangers.co.uk.
Ashmore goes on to assert that his main role in is Academy scouting. Reporting to David Stevenson, he is tasked with scouring the UK and Europe to find the most talented young players to strengthen the club’s age-group sides.
His role isn’t limited to scouting though, and he says he’s tried his hand at coaching and is getting a feel for all aspects of the club.
Verdict
It’s great to see the Gers offering a role to a former youth star who may not have quite made the grade as a first-team player but has plenty of other skills to bring to the Academy department.
Ashmore is still very young but spent many years in the club’s youth system before stints at other Scottish clubs, in Malta and most recently, the United States with Ventura County.
His enthusiasm for his new post shines through in the interview and he has an important role as a talent spotter.
Plenty of funding has been pumped into the Academy in recent seasons but while results at youth level have been very impressive, few players have successfully made the transition to the first team.
Ashmore will be hoping that he can draw on his own experiences and identify the star quality required to reverse that trend.
