Teenage Rangers striker Zak Rudden is set to end his loan stint with Plymouth Argyle before joining Partick Thistle on a permanent deal, according to the Scottish Sun.
The 19-year-old has spent the first half of the 2019/20 campaign with EFL League Two side Argyle, scoring three goals in 18 appearances.
However, despite recently stating that he would like to extend his stay beyond this month [Plymouth Live], his time there is set to come to an end in an interesting turn of events.
Former Rangers striker Ryan Hardie has signed for Plymouth on loan until the end of the season, paving the way for Rudden to head back to Scotland.
It’s set to be a permanent switch to Thistle for the Scotland youth international, rather than another loan stint, with first-team opportunities at Ibrox not forthcoming.
Verdict
It’s disappointing to see another promising young forward be ultimately unable to make the breakthrough at senior level for Rangers.
Just like Hardie and Andy Dallas, Rudden is set to be moved on after years of progress through the club’s Academy system.
At one stage last season, the 6ft 2″ targetman looked to have a real shot at making it with the Gers. Midway through a loan at Falkirk, he earned major praise from Steven Gerrard, who was clearly keeping a close eye on his progress [Rangers.co.uk].
However, a knee injury ensured he missed much of 2019 pre-season and a flare-up disrupted his stay at Plymouth.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make the same impact at Home Park as he had done at Falkirk during the previous campaign, and as a result, he’s ultimately slipped down the pecking order at Rangers.
