Rangers have made no bones about the club’s need to improve their homegrown player quota and Sheffield United midfielder John Fleck represents an interesting option.
The Gers are under pressure to seek out the best Scottish talent to beef out their squad with the club required to have at least eight homegrown Scottish-based players in any 25-man European squads.
UEFA demand the every club has at least eight players who have been trained at a club from within their country for a minimum period of three years before their 21st birthday.
To complicate things even further, football’s governing body also demands that at least four of those players have been trained from within the club.
The situation with the Rangers squad has been alluded to by the likes of Ross Wilson and Michael Beale in recent weeks, with the club certainly short on homegrown talent.
Could John Fleck help boost Rangers’ homegrown quota?
Allan McGregor and Robby McCrorie are two players who’ve been trained at the club, with Greegsy out of contract come the end of the season.
Ryan Jack (Aberdeen), John Souttar (Hearts), Scott Wright (Aberdeen) and Scott Arfield (Falkirk) then represent the other players who met the quota. Two of those names in Jack and Arfield are also out of contract in the summer.
John Fleck – who has impressed between Coventry City and Sheffield United since moving down south – represents an interesting option in the circumstances.
Homegrown at Rangers having come through the Ibrox club’s youth ranks as a teenager before leaving in 2012, the midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season.
John Fleck also impressed during a recent stint in the Premier League with the Blades and at one point was being linked with a move to Arsenal.
At 31-years-old, it’s not exactly a move for a young, upcoming, bright asset, but what Rangers would be getting is an experienced campaigner with a point to prove at Ibrox on a cut-price deal.
John Fleck could also add to that homegrown quota we hear so much about as Rangers look to secure Scottish-based players who can make a difference.
Meanwhile, another homegrown star linked to Rangers may have played his final game for his current club club.