The Rangers team that took on Fraserburgh was missing a few regulars with the gaps being filled by what could be the future of the club.
Philippe Clement was brought into Ibrox as a manager with a reputation of developing young players, but it is yet to become reality at his current club.
Ending the Scottish Cup tie with Bailey Rice, Leon King, Ross McCausland, Mason Munn and Findlay Curtis on the pitch is an encouraging sign for Rangers with the latter proving that one high earner won’t be missed if he is moved on.
Findlay Curtis passes Rangers chance audition
Curtis, a fan favourite, made his debut for the Light Blues after scoring goals for fun at academy level and testing Fraserburgh’s goal on a few occasions.
Not only that, but he passed around the corner for Cyriel Dessers to score Rangers’ fifth goal, demonstrating the type of vision and poise that Rabbi Matondo lacks.
The Wales international has already been linked with many clubs, and Nils Koppen will be keen to get him off the payroll.
Rangers have expressed interest in a loan arrangement with a buy option.
If he leaves, the wage bill will increase by £22,000 per week, and Curtis has demonstrated that a ready-made replacement is already available.
What did Clement have to say about Curtis’ influence on his debut?
Clement was pleased with what he saw from the academy starlets, and this may not be the last time supporters see them this season:
“Yeah, two very good passes by Findlay [Curtis]. He is, in fact, one of the guys who is making excellent progress. Curtis has trained with us several times in the previous several months, but there have been others as well, so it’s difficult for me to pick one,” the Gers manager remarked of Curtis.
“Zak [Lovelace] is coming back from a long injury. Bailey Rice is doing incredibly well in training, so I wanted to give him some minutes, but there are also guys like Paul Nsio, who isn’t on the squad today, who are making good progress.
“It’s about all of them to keep on working hard, to be hungry, to have the desire to become better and then to push the others and to make next steps.”
