Signing Leon King up to a new deal is a huge sign that the best youngsters at Rangers are now fully on board with the pathway that is in place, which is designed to see them progress from talented youth player to first-team regular.
The 17-year old, like Nathan Patterson, is one of the first players to go through every aspect of the plan which will be complete when he is not only a regular member of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad but also contributing on the pitch.
Speaking to the club’s official website, head of academy Craig Mulholland explained the steps that have seen King get to where he is just now at such a young age:
“His plan over a number of years has been very carefully managed and we have achieved several key objectives – maximising contact time via our Boclair Academy programme, appropriate player challenge playing and training several years ahead of his own age group, regular exposure to ‘best v best’ cross-border competition, early exposure at age 16 to playing against men’s first teams via our B Team project and a significant opportunity to train and learn from the first-team squad.”
King has always been one of the names that have been watched by those that pay attention to the academy and B team, that he made his debut as a 16-year old gives an idea of just how talented he is and the regard that he is held in, it helps that he is already physically able to cope with the demands of senior football.
Youth development is never linear, some players like Charlie Adam and Allan McGregor had to take a step back before proving that they are good enough whereas others like Barry Ferguson, Charlie Miller and Alan Hutton got their chance in the first-team and never looked back.
In King’s case, and as Mulholland explains, he’s had his own plan which would now suggest he won’t be going out on loan to get experience, after all, it didn’t do Nathan Patterson any harm.