At every club Philippe Clement has been at he has promoted players from the youth ranks but Rangers are yet to see any real changes in previous policy.
Players like Leon King are in the squad on a weekly basis without getting any minutes with only Ross McCausland a regular starter at Ibrox and beyond under the current manager.
Zak Lovelace returned after a long period battling injury to feature against FCSB, but it is another academy hopeful who Rangers fans are now keen to see in the famous Light Blue shirt after a remarkable run of form.
Findlay Curtis hits Rangers B team hat-trick
Findlay Curtis has as many goals and assists as games this season and the 18-year old winger was at it again against Partick Thistle in the Glasgow Cup on Tuesday night, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 win.
In his last two and a half seasons, Curtis’ goal tally now stands at over 50 goals, the sort of number that Clement should be paying attention of.
He might not have the sheer athleticism or pace of Lovelace, but there are no doubts about his ability to find himself in the right place at the right time and execute the finish.
Speaking after the win over Partick, his scoring run hasn’t happened by accident:
“I’m delighted. A hat-trick is what I want, and I want to keep on scoring goals,” said Curtis.
“It was a sloppy start from us, but we were ruthless in the final third and I’m buzzing off the hat-trick.
“I want to keep on scoring goals and getting my numbers up this year. I burst into the penalty box to get that third and fortunately it went in.
“I’ve scored 12 goals and got two assists in my last 15 or so games. It’s good and it’s just about getting my numbers up.
“The manager at first-team level always talks about his wingers getting in-behind, getting to the back post, and scoring goals.
“That’s what I’m trying to do and hopefully he recognises that.”
Rangers fans react as Curtis makes his mark
With this sort of record, it isn’t a surprise to see fans wanting Curtis to get called up to the senior squad by Clement.
There is a shortage of depth on the wings and, especially domestically, Curtis could help to lessen the demands placed on Vaclav Cerny in particular.
McCausland never had this sort of record at youth level neither did Lovelace, and he is clearly listening to what the Gers boss wants his wingers to do.
“First team chance beckons,” wrote one Rangers fan on X, with another proclaiming that his “outrageous” goal tally should seem him called up “to the first team, pronto.”
One puzzled fan asked, “Why isn’t he getting a sniff,” whilst another made a valid point querying why “If Barca can play 17-year olds, why can’t we?”
If players like Curtis see that form like his doesn’t get rewarded, persuading them to stay at the club and sign new contracts is only going to get harder.
