There are few things in football quite like the runaway hype train of a breakout academy prospect, and Rangers are no different.
For Findlay Curtis, that train has been operating at full throttle for the better part of six months.
Following an eye-catching loan spell at Kilmarnock last term, where his directness and goal threat led to a vocal section of the Ibrox support to argue Rangers‘ title push might have ended differently had he remained in Glasgow, his ascent reached dizzying heights with a dream call-up to Scotland’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
Expectations naturally hit fever pitch ahead of the new campaign. Yet, Sunday evening’s goalless draw against West Ham United served up a cold dose of reality: Findlay Curtis is still young and placing the burden of Rangers’ wide play on his shoulders is as unfair as it is dangerous.
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Curtis has quiet outing at Ibrox: Need for patience
Against the London big ‘uns on Sunday, Curtis drifted through the match almost entirely unnoticed.
On an evening where Rangers struggled immensely for creative spark, especially after Thelo Aasgaard was forced off, Curtis was unable to grab the game by the scruff of the neck or make any meaningful impact on the flank.
That is not an indictment of the young man’s talent. Young players fluctuate; their form is inherently volatile as they adjust to the physical and tactical demands of top-level football.
The mistake is not Curtis having a quiet outing against West Ham. The mistake is expecting a 20-year-old to deliver instant, seamless magic week-in, week-out for a club where drawing a pre-season friendly causes anxiety.
Rangers fans must afford him the patience to develop without treating him as the finished article.
Rangers desperately need not one, but two wide attackers
If Curtis’ quiet display taught us anything, it is that Derek McInnes‘ squad remain dangerously thin and unbalanced in wide areas.
Djeidi Gassama’s future remains up in the air amid interest from elsewhere, and beyond that, the team lack natural, high-volume creators who can eliminate defenders 1v1.
Expecting Curtis to step up as the primary answer on the flank is not just risky management – it is negligence in the transfer market.
Rangers do not just need one wide addition before the window slams shut; they desperately need two.
Who might be the secret signing McInnes teased?
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Will McInnes deliver after teasing mystery signing?
Fortunately, help may already be on the doorstep. Speaking after the West Ham clash, McInnes teased that a secret signing is close to being finalised by the end of Tuesday, 28 July, with another deal reportedly progressing through the pipeline behind the scenes.
Supporters will be desperately hoping that at least one – if not both – of these mystery arrivals possesses the pace, vision, and pedigree to solve the club’s glaring wide deficiency.
Curtis has a stellar future ahead of him in a Rangers shirt. But to allow him to reach that potential, the club must sign senior quality to carry the mantle now, giving the teenager the time and space he actually needs to grow.
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