Rangers are often criticised for not bringing through their own players, however, it doesn’t help when the best ones disappear across the border and further afield.
Success of the academy is hard to quantify given the number of variables with one Barry Ferguson, probably rated by fans as being a better indicator than three or four Alan Hutton’s.
One player who came through the ranks at Auchenhowie and would clearly be a regular for Rangers is Billy Gilmour who has earned the highest of praise from Napoli manager Antonio Conte via The Daily Record.
Antonio Conte loves what Billy Gilmour is doing for Napoli
Gilmour might not have been as big a hit as Scott McTominay given their differing roles and style of play, but in the dramatic 1-1 draw with Inter Milan that keeps the Serie A title race at one-point, Conte had eyes only for the former Rangers kid:
“I wanted to give a chance to Billy, because I wanted to have more control of the ball. I think Billy played a fantastic game. I love him.
“We are talking about a guy who, during the training sessions, every time his level is top, top, top. For me, he’s a fantastic player: he takes the ball under pressure, looks [scans] before receiving the ball, always knows where the ball is going. A big, big personality.”
“But Billy? I love him. He is young, and his future is for him. And for sure, from now until the end of the season, he will help us a lot.”
The academy players who could have been Rangers backbone
Imagine a Rangers midfield with Gilmour and Lewis Ferguson in it, Nathan Patterson available for selection, Rory Wilson covering the strikers and Greg Taylor at left-back.
Alright, the last name is pushing it a bit but the defence would look a lot more solid than it has done in recent weeks.
It was the apparent lack of a pathway that saw Gilmour join Chelsea in an opportunity that was too good to turn down, had Steven Gerrard been appointed just a few months later, the decision might have been a different one.
The point is, good players have come through Rangers academy, it’s getting them into the first team that has been the problem.
Not that it has stopped GIlmour shining on the biggest stage.
