Manchester City teenager Dire Mebude has opened up on his decision to leave Rangers for a big move to England.
Rangers fans may be familiar with the name of Dapo Mebude, who made his first-team debut for Rangers in 2019.
21-year-old Mebude left Rangers in 2021, heading on to Watford and now Oostende in Belgium.
Then there is Dire, Dapo’s younger brother who was also coming up through the Rangers ranks.
The younger Mebude, just 18, was a hot prospect at Rangers but decided to leave the club in 2020.
Manchester City were able to swoop in and lure Mebude to England – a move they will now be delighted to have pulled off.
Dire Mebude reflects on Rangers exit
Mebude has been in stunning form in a City shirt this season.
The teenager has racked up 10 goals and 10 assists in just 20 Premier League 2 games this season.
Add in EFL Trophy and UEFA Youth League games and Mebude has smashed 13 goals and 12 assists this term.
The winger has shown the kind of potential that gets you spotted by Pep Guardiola for first-team action down the line.
That would be a little tough for Rangers fans to see, with an Ibrox youth product potentially set for stardom away from Glasgow.
Mebude has now told the Daily Record that he just couldn’t turn down a move to Manchester City despite loving life at Ibrox.
Mebude noted that he still watches Rangers both in person and even online, showing that the Gers are still in his heart even though he made the decision to go.
“It was a big decision to move down,” said Mebude. “I was a bit young, I was 16. But when Man City come calling, you can’t really turn it down. Everything at Rangers was really good as well and I loved it just as much.”
“I’ve been to watch a few Rangers games since leaving and watch them in the Lowland League online. My older brother told me all about the 21s and I’ve watched him play a few times for them, so I was just happy to play my part as well. He did well when he played, so I’m just trying to follow in his footsteps,” he added.
Maybe Mebude will be back at Rangers one day, maybe on loan or even permanently down the line, but it currently looks like he can become a real star with City.
