Glasgow Rangers haven’t really produced a standout academy talent in the Ibrox ranks since Alan Hutton, who was sold 16 years ago.
Hutton broke through into the first team during the 2003/04 campaign, going on to play over 100 times for Rangers before Walter Smith accepted a bid of around £9m from south of the border in January 2008, which saw the defender leave.
There is a case for Nathan Patterson to be included in the list of finest academy graduates since Hutton’s departure, but he failed to dislodge James Tavernier from the coveted right-back position in the Gers side.
His potential saw Everton come in with a total bid of £16m, which was obviously far too good for the club to turn down.
Philippe Clement signed just two Scotsmen during the summer – Connor Barron and Liam Kelly – with the bulk of his transfer dealings coming from abroad.
It is no secret that a strong Scottish core not only helps with the European squad quotas but also helps with the club’s identity. Smith’s excellent nine-in-a-row side from the 90s had the likes of Andy Goram, Richard Gough, Ian Durrant, Ian Ferguson and Ally McCoist leaving a lasting impression.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, could Clement perhaps lure one of Scotland’s finest young talents to Ibrox?
Rangers eyeing one of Scotland's best talents
Links to both sides of the Old Firm were natural given Liam Miller’s rise, as he has emerged as arguably the brightest talent Scotland have produced in recent years, certainly in the midfield.
Indeed, according to the Daily Mail, both Rangers and Celtic are showing plenty of interest in Miller, who could cost around £4m as Motherwell hold out for the best possible fee for their prized asset.
It is inevitable that the Steelmen will have to sell sooner rather than later, but who can begrudge them wanting the highest fee possible?
This means Clement will need to open up the coffers to lure the midfielder to Ibrox. Given Celtic’s domestic dominance, allowing them the chance to play in the Champions League, they have the upper hand, that’s for sure.
If the opportunity is there, however, the Gers must go all in for the 18-year-old.
Lennon Miller’s statistics for Motherwell this season
Since making his debut in 2022/23, Miller has already made 55 appearances for the Premiership side, scoring five goals and grabbing six assists.
It has been a remarkable rise for the youngster, who has yet to make his international debut, despite captaining his club and featuring in every single one of their games this term, registering seven goal contributions in the process.
11 games
2 goals
3 assists
5 big chances created
2.1 key passes*
73% pass accuracy*
1.5 tackles*
1.5 interceptions*
6.5 balls recovered*
50% total duels won*
16x possession lost*
Miller has also created five big chances, averages 2.1 key passes, 0.9 successful dribbles and wins 5.1 total duels per game in the top flight for Motherwell.
He is certainly showing maturity well beyond his tender age and there is no doubt he is going to be a future star for club and country.
If Rangers allow Celtic to snatch someone of Miller’s quality away from their grasp, then it would represent a massive, missed opportunity for Clement, especially as he could generate a profit for the club after a few years, such is his incredible potential.
Players such as Cole McKinnon, Alex Lowry and Leon King have shown glimpses of their vast talents in recent years, but they now need more chances to grow and demonstrate that they can deliver on the senior stage.
Is there a youngster at the club who has a bigger ceiling than the three aforementioned players? Indeed, might he even be an even bigger talent than Miller?
Rangers' very own Liam Miller
The player in question here is Bailey Rice, who ironically joined the Glasgow side from Motherwell in the summer of 2022, rejecting an offer of a professional contract at the club to move to Ibrox.
Journalist Mark Hendry hailed the young midfielder as a “prospect” even before he linked up with the Light Blues, as Manchester City were also displaying a keen interest in bringing Rice south of the border.
Player
Age at time of debut
Derek Ferguson
16 years, 24 days
Bailey Rice
16 years, four months and 14 days
Tom Walsh
16 years, four months and 27 days
Paul Nsio
16 years, five months and 15 days
Zak Lovelace
16 years, seven months and seven days
Rangers was the next step for the Scot, as he would be given the chance to train alongside better players, while also having a chance to make inroads into securing minutes in the senior squad over the next couple of seasons. It didn’t take long for him to make an impression.
In The Pipeline
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The 2022/23 campaign saw Rice make 21 appearances for the B side in the Lowland League and UEFA Youth League, where he scored twice and grabbed an assist too.
Later that season, Michael Beale gave Rice his senior debut against Livingston, coming off the bench in the dying minutes. What makes this even more remarkable is the young midfielder had captained the Scotland U17 side to a 7-0 victory over Switzerland in Spain just 24 hours prior.
He jetted back to Scotland in order to join the first-team squad, thus becoming the youngest player in the post-war era to make his league debut for the club.
Two more league appearances followed last season, as Rice continued his development, slowly easing into more senior training.
The defensive midfielder has a ridiculously high ceiling, although he hasn’t managed to play any minutes in the first team this season, despite being included in the matchday squad five times.
The rise of Miller is due to him being trusted in the Motherwell starting XI, and they are now being rewarded with a player who is capable of special things.
The same could be said for Rice if he could secure some consistent minutes under Clement. There is a fine player ready to be unearthed in the 18-year-old, but unless there is a significant injury crisis, he may have to wait for his next opportunity.
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