Rangers rising star Cole McKinnon has been linked with a move to the Scottish Championship on loan.
The youngster made a fantastic initial impression at Tynecastle on the final day of last season when he contributed to the build up and then finished the third goal of the game as Rangers cruised to a 1-3 victory over Hearts.
Now he has been named as possibly heading out on loan in order to gain further first team experience in the senior game:
“The 19-year-old midfielder is highly-rated by the Ibrox club and they are keen for him to get more first team minutes at a decent level.”
“Partick Thistle are believed to be in the running to land him, say the Scottish Sun.”
Development
Between Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Ross Wilson and Head of Academy, Craig Mulholland, decisions will be made on McKinnon and his peers who have impressed in recent times.
Going out on loan can be valuable, but it has to be worthwhile and of greater value than what is going on in-house.
With the B team set to continue in the Lowland League as well as further tests against other sides around the UK and Europe, Mulholland has been praising the virtues of this approach:
“When you watch the likes of Alex Lowry speak after his game at Tynecastle, Cole McKinnon, Adam Devine, they all reference the Lowland League as being important,” Mulholland adds.
“All the research suggests you have to make your debut and play against men by the age of 17, we’re trying to expose our players to men’s football as early as we can.
With that in mind, a decision has to be made on potential options of continuity or if the time is right to go out the door temporarily for further exposure.
In the case of McKinnon, Firhill could be a serious option given the relationship that Ian McCall has with Rangers following on from the moves of Zak Rudden, Lewis Mayo, Juan Alegria, Andy Firth and Jake Hastie in recent times. The link also included a pre-season game last year, with another set to follow on 2nd July but on a ‘behind closed doors’ basis.