Alex Lowry is the textbook example of a player bursting onto the scene when he made his Rangers debut last season.
At B team and academy level he always looked a cut above the rest and seemed destined for bigger things.
A debut goal, minutes after coming on as a substitute, was followed with several more mature performances and it seemed as if Alex Lowry’s place in the first team was secure.
After a year plagued with injury and personal trauma though, Lowry has struggled but, is now fit and refocussed on impressing Michael Beale.
Speaking to the Rangers club website, Lowry has revealed what he has to do to nail a starting role:
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“The manager has given a lot of young players a chance but I know it’s not easy to get games for Rangers and I have experienced pros like Ianis Hagi and Scott Arfield who play in my position.
“Playing as an attacking midfielder or winger are my best positions so I need to play at their level and maybe do stuff they don’t do in games to try and get in the team.
“It’s obviously a huge challenge but it’s one I am up for.”
Arfield has nine goals in 40 games this season, not bad for a 34-year old who is mainly used as an impact sub.
Ianis Hagi, like Lowry, has missed most of this season but he has a back catalogue of game winning performances and big moments.
This is the level that Lowry has to aspire to.
What does Alex Lowry have to do to earn Rangers place?
The Scotland youth international, labelled “exciting” by Ross Wilson when signing his contract extension, has to regularly contribute numbers and impose himself on games, as he did at Tynecastle last season.
With 10 goals and one assist in 12 B team appearances, it’s safe to say that his permanent place in the first team is justified.
Training with the Arfield, Hagi and Todd Cantwell will allow him to see exactly the sort of level he needs to find.
Interestingly, Lowry sees himself as being able to play off the wing and that is a position Rangers need to strengthen and has caused us problems for years.
The 19-year old has more technical ability that the senior players in front of him for a place on the left-hand side and has shown that he can be a composed finisher too.
He has the skillset needed to play as part of a front three and Michael Beale could do a lot worse than giving him a chance, it might even save him a few pound.
With just a few games left of the season, seeing Lowry back in the starting XI would give fans cause for optimism in a season that has seen very little.