When Rangers come under criticism for the lack of home-grown talent in the first team, it’s not as simple as the academy failing and Josh Gentles is the latest example.
There is a pecking order in football and, unfortunately, the Premier League will always be above us in terms of finances and opportunity.
This makes Rangers youth team players like Josh Gentles, who scored his first B team goal at just 16-years old this week, even more exciting when they show early signs of promise.
Rangers need to avoid same mistakes with Josh Gentles
In recent years, players like Billy Gilmour, Nathan Patterson, Rory Wilson and Dire Mebude have left for Premier League sides to continue their development.
We managed to bring fees in for all of them but only Patterson was sold for what he was really worth.
Ideally, Rangers would want more game time from their elite academy prospects in the first-team and Josh Gentles has begun that journey this season.
His name has been on the scoresheet regularly during the elite fixture programme and again against Airdrie in the Challenge Cup, assisted by none other than Kieran Dowell who the Wales youth cap couldn’t speak higher of via the Rangers media team:
“You can’t ask for much better in terms of service, especially as a striker and attacking midfielder. It’s perfect in terms of players playing you through.
“It’s about using that experience of playing alongside and against first-team players. I want to bring that into Under-18s level and even playing for the B Team, and hopefully play as many minutes as possible for both squads.”
Gentles, who quoted Malik Tilman as a role model last season when he signed his first professional contract with Rangers still has a long way to go.
If Philippe Clement wants to be able to call on more domestic talent though, he has to find a pathway for the best so that they don’t follow the likes of Wilson and Mebude.
