Exciting young midfielder Stephen Kelly has vowed to work hard and has set his sights on a first team breakthrough at Rangers when his loan stint at Ross County comes to an end [Glasgow Times].
Kelly is highly rated at Ibrox, with the club tying him down until 2023 last summer following an impressive season in the Championship with Ayr United.
This season, he’s been up in the Highlands with the Staggies, getting his first taste of Premiership football.
The 21-year-old has made 27 appearances in total, 21 of which have come in the league, and he has enjoyed his time in Dingwall despite his adopted side’s precarious position near the bottom of the table.
“The games I have played in, either the league or the cup, have really benefitted me and I am learning a different side of my game,” he said [The Herald].
Once he returns to Ibrox for pre-season, he hopes to earn his chance in the first team and is taking inspiration from Academy success story Nathan Patterson.
“He [Patterson] has not put a foot wrong in any of the games he has played and even got an important goal in a big European game so seeing how well he has taken to life as a first-team player really encourages me,” said Kelly [Glasgow Times].
“Hopefully I can get a chance and do something similar in the future. I will keep working as hard as I can to try and make that happen.”
Kelly is one of the brightest talents to come through the Gers’ youth system in some time and the fact that he’s held his own in the top flight this season is a good sign.
He’s an excellent passer of the ball and offers good quality from set-pieces, so there could well be a role for him to play in the future at Ibrox.
Whether or not his chance arrives next season, though, depends very much on the business the Gers do in the summer transfer window.
In other news, a scouting site report has suggested that Rangers have pulled off an ‘excellent signing.’
