The international break has seen a return to the debate about who, if any, of the current Scotland squad would enhance Steven Gerrard’s at Rangers.
Outside of the obvious like Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, there are few who would automatically dislodge one of the first-team regulars but, as already covered by Vital Rangers, players like Kevin Nisbet simply aren’t good enough and are too expensive to consider compared to what we could get elsewhere.
The best example of this is Ignacio Ramirez of Liverpool FC Montevideo, like Nisbet, a 24-year old striker but, his contract expires in December which will make him available on a pre-contract agreement in just a matter of weeks.
Even better than not having to pay £4million plus that Hibs would demand is the fact that the Uruguayan youth cap is on fire so far this season with five goals and one assists in five games, taking his total to 79 in 159 appearances – 30 in his last 38.
One of the keys to good recruitment is getting a player with huge potential before they make the big European move, we’ve been lucky with Alfredo Morelos but we shouldn’t settle for finding a player like him once every 20 years and Ramirez could genuinely be the sort of forward to land a huge transfer fee – Uruguay is a country with a pretty impressive record in recent years when it comes to producing strikers, Darwin Nunez the latest to join the likes of Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan.
He has experience in the Copa Libertadores which would help his work permit application and is on the fringes of the national team, only the quality of the veterans in front of him blocking his path. He’s a proven goalscorer and certainly a name to look out for in the next few weeks, whoever gets him is getting one of South America’s most prolific goal scorers and a bargain all thrown into one – fingers crossed it’s another shade of Light Blue he is pulling on next.