Should things go south down south, a player who was supposed to have a bright future at Rangers cannot say he wasn’t warned.
Derek Ferguson, when hearing the news of that deadline day departure from Ibrox, could not help but wonder if this is a decision Zak Lovelace will one day look back on with a considerable pang of regret.
“I’m really surprised at that,” Ferguson, a two-time Scottish Premiership champion at Rangers, sighed following Lovelace’s shock return to Millwall.
“This might be a boy who looks back in a few year and thinks; ‘What was I thinking?’”
According to reports, homesickness played a big part in the London-born Lovelace’s decision to say goodbye to Glasgow and re-join the club where he started his senior career.
Now, one cannot blame a young player for wanting to be closer to his family and his support network.
But it does feel a shame that Lovelace, amongst the brightest young talents at Auchenhowie, opted to depart just as he was starting to force his way into the first-team picture.
Zak Lovelace’s Millwall challenge gets harder after Rangers exit
The young winger provided a first Premiership assist for Cyriel Dessers against Dundee United in January, shortly after he scored the winner as Rangers beat Celtic’s reserves a rescheduled Glasgow Cup final.
With Vaclav Cerny only on loan at Ibrox – Rangers may struggle to finance a permanent deal for the Wolfsburg loanee – a spot in Clement’s first-team plans could have been his in 2024/25.
Now, if Lovelace felt that opportunities were going to be more forthcoming in the present tense at Millwall, the recent club-record signing of Camiel Neghli from Eredivisie outfit Sparta Rotterdam ensures that there will be no shortage of competition at The Den either.
Millwall snapped up Neghli for a reported fee in the region of £3 million. Thus, making the Dutch-born Algeria Under-23 international the most expensive acquisition in their 140-year history.
Now, Lovelace’s versatility – he can play on either flank – should stand the teenager in good stead under former Hamilton Academical boss Alex Neil.
But Millwall did not make history bringing Neghli to the capital in order to utilise him as a mere squad player, the 23-year-old expected to nail down that right-sided spot presuming he adapts to life in his new surroundings.
Lovelace yet to make Millwall appearance as Camiel Neghli goes straight into squad
“We did spend significant funds on Camiel,” Neil said after Neghli made his debut against West Brom over the weekend. “Camiel is a really technically gifted player.
“I think the physicality of the Championship is going to take him a little bit of time to get up to the speed of but what you could see [vs West Bromwich Albion] was those flashes and moments when he lands on the ball.
“Technically he is super-equipped and tactically he is very good as well because he has come from Dutch football. A lot of players from those type of countries are tactically very, very good.
“Camiel is a really good player for this football club. I’ve no doubts about that. It will just maybe take a little bit of time to bed in.”
Lovelace is yet to make an appearance since returning to Millwall. He’s even been left out of the matchday squad in all of the club’s last four games, sparking questions on social media amongst a fanbase having to make do with radio silence as to his lack of involvement.
Neil did say, however, that he was keen to avoid creating ‘too much expectation’ around his younger additions.
Perhaps this is part of the plan; Lovelace shielded from the limelight until he is deemed ready to contribute.
By then, however, record signing Camiel Neghli might have already made one of the spots on the Millwall flanks his own.
