If Alex Lowry’s 30 minute cameo against Dundee United was anything to go by, it might not take long for him to replace Scott Arfield in the starting XI.
The development plan in place appears to be for the youngster to learn from the veteran before ultimately stepping in to his shoes one day, however, the confidence he displayed, passes he attempted and completed and how he demanded the ball, regardless of the pressure he was under, suggests that it is a plan that might have to be accelerated.
If anything, we could well see a situation where Arfield is coming off the bench for the 18-year old.
Lowry already looks like he could be our most talented academy product since Barry Ferguson, and he wasn’t a regular in the first-team until he was in his 20s, making his debut at 19 on the last day of the 1996/97 season, he’s obviously a player who backs himself but it’s clear to see that the management team, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst in particular, have told him to go out and express himself.
Stepping up from the B team has been made to look easy by Lowry, Leon King and Charlie McCann in the games that they have played, all three looking every bit like they will play bigger roles next season – King in particular strolled it alongside Connor Goldson and when he moved to left-back, Tony Watt resorting to diving and trying to trip him up to get the better of him, neither of which were successful.
It will help Lowry’s transition having two of his mates in training with him rather than having all of the expectancy on his shoulders alone as our great hope, with a contract extension until 2025, hopefully, the best is yet to come.