Rangers manager Mick Beale has indicated that teenage duo Bailey Rice and Zak Lovelace could be handed an opportunity over the coming months as the Scotitsh Premiership giants look to navigate a punishing fixture schedule.
Balancing European and domestic competitions is testing enough, but a spate of first-team injury issues has only served to make a difficult challenge that little bit harder.
Speaking at his Wednesday press conference, ahead of Rangers’ Europa League opener with Real Betis, Mick Beale confirmed that Nicolas Raskin has now joined Todd Cantwell and Danilo on the treatment table.
As such, Rangers are without arguably their key midfielder, their best creator, and their £6 million centre-forward; Danilo undergoing surgery, a fractured cheekbone his reward for a brilliant header against St Johnstone on Saturday.
Injury-hit Rangers prepare for Real Betis clash
“The injuries to the three we mentioned, they’re three important players so it’s not ideal,” Beale tells Rangers Review. “(But) there is good news around Kieran Dowell. We’re hoping he’ll be back around the Livingston game, into the game with Aberdeen.
“We get another number back there. We still had 20 senior players today.”
Beale, meanwhile, is not ruling out turning to two of Rangers’ most exciting up-and-comers later down the line. Zak Lovelace and Bailey Rice – aged 17 and 16 respectively – have already made their Premiership bows, and further opportunities may be on the way.
‘A real bright future’
“We obviously have one or two of the academy players we’ve got eyes on as having a real bright future in Zak Lovelace and Bailey Rice,” adds Steven Gerrard’s former assistant coach.
“This might be an opportunity for them to step up in domestic games as well.”
Rice, Rangers’ youngest-ever debutant, signed a contract extension just this month. Lovelace, meanwhile, moved north of the border from Millwall in 2022, and made his bow in an Old Firm derby no less.
