They say the best Rangers teams have been built by recruiting the best of the rest in Scottish football.
Over the years when victorious Rangers sides have been lofting trophies above their heads, they’ve often been full of the best Scottish talent hoovered up from around the Scottish Premiership.
But in recent seasons, Rangers have sought to find value in their squad elsewhere and missed out on a number of top young talents in the country.
The less said about Lewis Ferguson the better.
Now, with Nils Koppen pledging to sign one Scottish-based star per season between the first-team and academy, Philippe Clement has acknowledged one of the Premiership’s leading lights.
Philippe Clement hails Lyall Cameron
Dundee attacking midfielder Lyall Cameron is one of the Scottish Premiership’s brightest talents and has been on fine form at Dens Park this season.
With an impressive return of eight goals and seven assists in all competitions, Rangers have been urged by the likes of Andy Halliday to consider Cameron for transfer.
Rangers fans too have been caught by Lyall Cameron’s impressive displays this season, the Dundee midfielder reaching 100 appearances and turning heads around the country.
With Rangers set to face Dundee in the Scottish Premiership, Philippe Clement was full of praise for Lyall Cameron’s performances.
It comes with the 22-year-old Dundee midfielder out of contract in the summer and Rangers being teased for missing out on former teammate Luke McCowan in the summer.
The Rangers manager is under pressure to turn the Ibrox side’s abysmal away form around and spokre very highly of Tony Docherty’s Dundee team.
“I have a lot of respect for Tony Docherty,” Clement told a pre-match press conference. “His team is always very competitive, they make it really difficult for opponents.
“They are really good in transition, they have a lot of good players in transition. Three front players really good in that way.
“Lyle Cameron also, a very good midfielder, creative midfielder, with decisive action in the last pass and a good solid base behind him also.
“So, we know it’s going to be a game where we need to break over the wall, see that we don’t run in the transitions.
“We need to take lessons out of the Hibs game to be better, to win those duels more.”
Dundee midfielder’s Rangers ‘wish’
The comments from Philippe Clement are the first public acknowledgment that the Rangers backroom staff are aware of Lyall Cameron.
Considering the Dundee talent is out of contract in the summer, and Rangers’ insistence they will be looking for more homegrown players, then it appears a tap-in for Nils Koppen and co.
If that wasn’t enough for the Rangers hierarchy to be convinced, Lyall Cameron said back in September that he ‘wishes he could play at Ibrox’.
It comes after the midfielder reflected on Dundee losing Luke McCowan in the summer, the attacking midfielder moving to Old Firm rivals Celtic.
“It is hard, to be honest, because I think Luke and I built a really good relationship in the middle of the pitch,” said Cameron.
“We knew where each other was and obviously he came up with big moments and so did I.
“So I think we just got on really well and knew what the other person was going to do.
“Obviously losing him at that time of the season was tough, but I think we brought in some good players.
“Hopefully once they find their feet in the team and understand the league they’ll do well.
“We’ve brought in a lot of boys who haven’t really played in this league. You do need the experience of playing in the Premiership. I’ve played here a couple of years now.
“I know I’m only 21 but I’m one of the more experienced guys in the team.
“I think once everyone finds their feet and we start understanding each other I think we’ll be OK.
“I’m really confident in my own abilities and I think I could play in a bigger team.
“Obviously when you come to places like Ibrox, you just wish you could get a move to a team like this.
“Obviously it would be huge for your career. So hopefully one day I can go on to do that.”
