Former Rangers right-back, Alan Hutton has revealed that his old club may be about to save themselves a transfer fee by promoting one of their own to the first-team squad.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton reveals that he has been told by people from within the club that Kai Kennedy will be the next player to make an impact on the first XI at Ibrox.
So what has Hutton said?
Hutton feels that promoting youth players is just as important to fans as splashing out on big name signings:
“Obviously I hear little bits and pieces here and there from different people within Rangers, he’s obviously highly thought of.
“A lot of the youngsters do train with the first-team, I think Gerrard does like that, to promote the youth, let them see what it’s all about and to get them used to the feel of it, the daily life of being a first-team player.
“They’re a good crop, from what I hear, coming through – he’s obviously one that’s highly thought of and it’s good to see, it’s really good to see the youth side of it is working.
“It’s bringing the young players through into the first-team and that’s ultimately what you want to see. It’s what fans like to see – it’s nice getting a £7million signing through the door but it’s just as good a feeling seeing these kids coming through.”
So is Hutton correct?
Absolutely, not only do fans love seeing “one of their own” starring in front of 50,000 every other week, it also has a huge impact on the club’s bank balance.
By promoting from within and identifying talent for the academy like Glenn Middleton and Nathan Young-Coombes from other clubs, the club can create a much more sustainable model of operation.
Looking across the city, Celtic made £25m from the sale of Kieran Tierney and have the likes of Callum McGregor and Kristoffer Ajer that cost them next to nothing who could command similar fees, Rangers finally appear to be getting back on track in this instance.
Kennedy has played mainly as a winger through his formative years but recently has been playing centrally as a number 10 or an attacking number eight depending on the opposition, his natural creativity, pace and ability on the ball makes him tailor-made for the position.
That he was able to dominate an experienced Inverness Caledonian Thistle team in the challenge cup semi-final, in difficult conditions, is a credit to his maturity and confidence to perform despite his relatively small stature, with clubs like Manchester City and Bayern Munich Steven Gerrard will be hoping that he extends his contract beyond his current 2021 deal.
With Brandon Barker, Jordan Jones and Sheyi Ojo all set to leave the club, Rangers fans would be delighted to see Kennedy promoted and feature more regularly for the Ibrox side when football kicks-off once again.