Rangers are heading in a direction that really should have been put into action in 2012 with youth players being a key component of how the club operates.
Philippe Clement is the manager that has been entrusted with the reset with a squad that needs a root to branch rebuild.
Lyall Cameron has been announced as signing a pre-contract agreement, but Rangers will be looking to their own academy to provide players for the bench and the starting XI.
Bailey Rice on right tracks to make Rangers impact
At the top of the list is Bailey Rice, who , after a rocky start under Clement, is now trusted to play a key role in the Light Blues’ engine room.
One teammate who is happy to see him there is Ianis Hagi, with the former Golden Boy nominee praising the Auchenhowie graduate’s mentality:
“I think he’s a really talented player since he first came with the first team,” Hagi said after his double against Ross County at Ibrox.
“As every young player you learn, you gain experience by playing. He’s doing this right now and he has to take as much as he can, learn as much as he can, and he’ll definitely have a bright future.
“To perform at a club like Rangers, we’re not just talking about Old Trafford, we’re talking about Ibrox as well. Just performing every three days at Rangers is not an easy job and doing that at a really young age.
“In my opinion, you can’t learn and teach this. You either are born with it or not. He obviously feels comfortable playing for Rangers and that’s a really big step already but there’s so much more into the game that you have to learn.
“He’s a kid that really listens and he’s open to learning. He’s a really talented player and as I said, every minute, every training, every second of it, just try to get as much information as possible into yourself and that will definitely help, and he’ll definitely have a bright future.
“If I have the opportunity [to mentor him], definitely. If he comes to ask, I’m always open. I’m not that guy who just goes around and tries to make myself important around him.
“He’ll learn, he’s a smart guy and we have experienced players in the squad so whenever he feels like he needs advice, we are there for him.”
Rice and co. proving that the academy can be trusted
It’s maybe been through necessity, but Clement having to play Rice, Findlay Curtis and Zak Lovelace has shown why giving players from the academy more of a chance is important.
None of them have looked out of place and all of them have shown that they can handle the pressure of playing for Rangers.
Signing experienced players doesn’t mean that they will be able to understand the expectation of needing to win every week.
At the academy, every game is a “must win” there are no bounce games or games where even a draw is acceptable.
They all have the talent, but it takes so much more than that to be a success, as Hagi rightly says.
Rice was the jewel in Motherwell’s crown at age group level but it is Lennon Miller who is courting multi-million pound bids.
Given his recent impact and how impressive he was at Old Trafford, there is no reason why the midfield playmaker can’t attract similar interest further down the line.
