One of Rangers’ young loan stars has been flying under the radar at Falkirk in Zak Rudden.
Supporters may remember him from pre-season, as he netted a goal at Ibrox against Bury. That match was Steven Gerrard’s first game at Ibrox, and a first Rangers goal there in the first-team for Rudden.
Since then, however, the striker has been moved to Falkirk on loan for the season. For many loan players, they get thrown out on loan never to be heard from again until they come back.
Whilst some Rangers supporters may not have been hearing much of Rudden, it turns out he’s flying. So far with the Bairns, Rangers’ young forward has managed to bag four goals in nine appearances for the Championship side.
His most recent strike was an impressive winner at Dunfermline, with Falkirk keeping their heads above relegation thanks to the Rangers youngster.
An impressive start to loan life
His performances have been so impressive that Falkirk want him out of the Scotland under-19 squad. The young Scots face San Marino and Sweden over the next week, with Falkirk pushing for him to return before a huge match against Partick Thistle.
It’ll be interesting to see if Rudden can add to his goal-haul in the second half of the season. This was supposed to be a spell in which the Gers youngster bulked up and got used to senior football. It’s fair to say, therefore, that the young man is making a fine impression so far in the Championship.
Rudden will be wary of falling into the same trap that young Ryan Hardie did. Despite Hardie signing a one-year extension over the summer, his progress has stalled in recent years. Getting up to Rangers’ standards is tough for all young players in the youth academy, but Rudden is going from strength to strength early on.
He managed to make the bench for the 0-0 draw in Shkupi before being sent down to the Championship. At just 18-years of age, netting in what’s a competitive league in the Scottish second-tier shows good promise.
Billy Kirkwood, Rangers’ new loan manager, will be keeping his eye on Rudden as the season progresses. Rangers fans can be safe in the knowledge, however, that their young forward has made a good start to life at the Falkirk Stadium.
