Some academy players need to spend time out on loan at other clubs to realise their full potential and adapt to the rigours of senior football, there are occasions though when they can be fast tracked to the first-team and look like they have been there for years.
Alex Lowry has been one to watch for a few seasons now and spending time in the Lowland League has done him no harm at all, for all that his talent should be on display further up the pyramid, the 18-year old will have learned he has some way to go in terms of physicality.
But, as his display against Stirling Albion after coming on for the injured Ianis Hagi demonstrated, if you are good enough, you are old enough and it looks as though he could be about to follow Leon King into the first-team dressing room on a more permanent basis and in the process, earn himself a new contract, according to a report in The Daily Record.
The teenager still has 18-months left on his current deal but if Giovanni van Bronckhorst has identified him as a player who could add to his squad, then we need to make sure that he is rewarded accordingly, with Hagi out for the rest of the season he could be thrust further into the limelight.
The pathway to the Rangers starting XI looks a lot clearer now and if the dead wood is removed from around the fringes of the squad, there is no reason why the likes of King, Lowry and Charlie McCann can’t see more game time, it’s an essential part of the player trading model, yes, it’s not ideal if they leave after a handful of appearances but if they make the club as much money as Nathan Patterson did then we must be doing something right.
Lowry’s biggest challenge now is following up his man of the match debut, but after his first taste of action in front of a packed Ibrox, I’m sure he’ll continue to apply the hard work to his obvious talent to continue living out his dream of playing for Rangers.