Rangers link to Brian Gutierrez is an interesting one, not specifically because of the player but because of the trend it points to.
The teenage midfielder has been watched by Man Utd and could well be a star of the future but it is a clear indication of where John Parks and the recruitment team are scouting.
With Jose Cifuentes reportedly on the way, Rangers could make Brian Gutierrez the latest MLS addition to cross the Atlantic in an ever growing list.
Rangers interest in players from the USA has been a recent endeavour but, so far, it’s one that hasn’t paid dividends.
You’d have to go back to Maurice Edu to find a successful signing from over the pond.
Fanendo Adi was linked in 2016 and might have been a solid option at the time with a goal every three games in the States, he also had expansive experience in Europe too.
More recently though, Matt Polster joined under Steven Gerrard but that was due, in the main, to the former Rangers boss having been impressed in opposition to the now departed midfielder – before playing him at right-back for us.
When James Sands signed for Rangers, like Brian Gutierrez, he was tipped for bigger things and one of MLS’s brightest prospects.
A loan-to-buy deal was a clever one but it just didn’t work out and he was regularly asked to play in a position that just didn’t suit his skillset.
The MLS is a growing market and it is one that makes sense in terms of being a comparable league and English speaking players should be able to adapt and settle quicker.
Hopefully, Jose Cifuentes and Brian Gutierrez, if they join Rangers that is, enjoy more success that their predecessors but, it will help if Michael Beale plays them in the right position too.
