Lee McCulloch has given his verdict on a reported transfer agreement, in his Evening Times column.
The Express reports a deal is all but done for Jake Hastie to join Rangers with an announcement expected sometime this week.
The 20-year-old winger is out of contract in the summer. Therefore, the Gers will only have to pay a compensation fee for his services. The report sugeests that the fee will be approximately £355k.
McCulloch believes that makes the move for an exciting talent, even better.
“He will prove to be a really good signing and even if they have to pay a few hundred grand, it should be well worth it,” he wrote in
“Hastie still has so much time on his side to improve and grow. He can get better and he will get better through time and experience.”
“He has proven that he can play in the Premiership but it will take him time to get used to playing for Rangers as opposed to Motherwell. It is different when you are at the Old Firm, but I don’t see that transition being a problem for him given the level of ability he has got.”
Verdict
It’s high praise indeed for a young player very few had heard of a few months ago.
Hastie only made his Motherwell debut after the turn of the year, but his performances so far have been impressive.
As a left-footed player on the right side, he’s a constant goal threat when cutting in. That’s a dimension Rangers don’t have right now.
McCulloch is right, of course, in that it might take him a while to settle at Ibrox.
Yet, he took to the SPL like a duck to water, with six goals in 13 matches to date. Therefore, we already know he can deliver at this level.
A ‘cracking deal’ seems a fair assessment at this stage.
