Back in May I received a phone call from a source telling me Rangers were talking to Millwall about a young striker by the name of Zak Lovelace.
I was informed he had received offers from clubs round the UK including the English Premier League and from around Europe, he was a heavily wanted player.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Zak Lovelace of Millwall warms up during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Millwall and Crystal Palace at The Den on January 8, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
However I was able to put out the news a short time later that Lovelace had chosen Rangers due to the exciting possibilities of first team football and playing at Ibrox.
Sources in the club told me: “Lovelace is massive for 16! And will 100% be a first team player” and that they had landed a player with” incredible potential”.
The excitement about landing the young English talent was clear and despite his tender age understandable Rangers were happy to pay around £100,000 for a potential superstar.
Young striker Lovelace could play for England
The striker had made his senior debut for Millwall aged only 15 becoming the second youngest player in their history to make a first team appearance.
Millwall told me when they lost him they were “absolutely gutted” but that “he was too good not to be noticed”; a glowing review for Rangers’ new boy.
Lovelace immediately went into the Rangers B team and from the off scored goal after goal, moving out ahead of most of his peers.
Some small injuries since have not hampered his goal scoring ability and outgoing Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave him his first team debut a few months later against Queen of the South in the league cup.
Since then however the young talent has been back in the B team for the most part, taking part in the odd senior training session.
Lovelace has both English and Jamaican citizenship, similar to the likes of Kemar Roofe, with ex-Ibrox pair Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo also turning out for Nigeria in a similar vein.
The difference however is that when it comes to the young striker there is a genuine belief from those within the game that Lovelace will play for England.
Lovelace has already been regularly involved with Michael Beale’s first team sessions and now there is a expectation he will see more first team football.
The striker now has a boss in Michael Beale who gives youth a real opportunity and it’s clear from the talk within the walls at Ibrox that he is a very exciting talent who will one day line up as a starter for Rangers.
Over the next few months we can expect to see the likes of Lowry, McCann and Lovelace feature and Rangers fans are right to get exciter about the 16 year old talent.
Time will tell but clearly Rangers have a very exciting prospect on their hands and fans are starting to demand that youngsters are given a chance to shine.
Meanwhile, Rangers have been linked with a move for an African international midfielder.