It shouldn’t take a personnel crisis to give young players like Bailey Rice a crack at the Rangers first team.
The issue shouldn’t be forced by Mohamed Diomande picking up too many yellow cards in Europe.
It shouldn’t be a consequence of Connor Barron taking a crack to the knee.. The omission of Ianis Hagi from the European squad shouldn’t really enter the equation.
Missing eight first-team regulars for the Europa League game against Manchester United, Philippe Clement pitched Rice and his fellow 18-year-old Findlay Curtis into the fray. Brave, composed and talented, neither looked out of place.
The last time two players aged 18 or under played in the same European game for Rangers was 2009.
Danny Wilson and John Fleck lined up in a Champions League game against Stuttgart. And, for the last 15 years, the Ibrox club have shown a lack of trust in their own young players.
Findlay Curtis, at the age of 18, proved up for the challenge of facing Manchester United
Bailey Rice, right, was also brave and composed with neither youngster looking out of place
The teenagers would have played a part in a night to remember had Rangers held on for a point
Alex Lowry shone for a time before the fuse fizzled and burned itself out and he was shipped out to Wycombe Wanderers. He’s by no means an isolated example.
It’s not just a Rangers problem. Across the Premiership, a lack of game time for players aged 21 and under is now a serious concern. An SFA report says that the game is failing young footballers and significantly underplaying their potential.
Clement showed courage to throw Rice and Curtis into an environment like Old Trafford. The only question is why it took him so long?
With managers under pressure to get results in a 12-team league, they won’t put their own jobs on the line to promote raw young players into the first team before they’re ready. Until they give it a go, however, they’ll never know.
Midfielder Rice showed outstanding vision to pick out Cyriel Dessers with a pass which ended in the striker lobbing the ball the wrong side of the post. Rio Ferdinand, on co-commentary duty for TNT Sports, raved over his ability to ‘see pictures’ in his play.
Had Jack Butland and Jefte done their jobs a little better, the teenagers would have been part of a night to remember. A point in the Europa League for Rangers at Old Trafford would have been as satisfying as any won in recent years.
Reared through the Motherwell academy, Rice has managed a mere 366 minutes of first-team action, playing most of his football for the B team against the Stenhousemuirs and Queen’s Parks of this world. His old Fir Park team-mate Lennon Miller, meanwhile, boasts 63 first team appearances at the same age.
The subject of a £2.5million bid from Udinese, the offer was tossed out because Motherwell place a high value on their best young players.
Rangers last played two players under 18 in Europe in 2009, when John Fleck faced Stuttgart
Danny Wilson also featured for Walter Smith’s side in the 2-0 defeat to the Germans at Ibrox
Rice shone at Old Trafford but he has only had 366 minutes of first-team action this season
It’s hard to say the same of either Rangers or Celtic. And, when the time comes for Lyall Cameron to choose between Rangers or Aberdeen this summer, the Dundee midfielder has a choice to make between greenbacks and game time.
If money is his god, then the 22-year-old doesn’t have to think too hard. He’ll sign the pre-contract with Rangers and do his best to give Nico Raskin, Mohamed Diomande, Connor Barron and Bailey Rice a run for their money.
If it’s first-team football and long-term development which rocks his boat, he might want to take the financial hit and join Aberdeen instead.
Faced with a similar dilemma, the likes of Scott Wright, Jake Hastie and Connor Barron picked the move to Ibrox. Presented with a chance to play before huge home crowds, garner fame and adulation and play European football, plenty would make the same choice. Throw in a big salary and a hefty signing-on fee and human nature takes the wheel.
When Aberdeen pitch to Lyall Cameron, however, they have to flag up their track record of taking young players and making them better. There should be name checks for Kenny McLean, Ross McCrorie and Lewis Ferguson, all of whom moved to Pittodrie and left for big money.
Clement wants that for Rangers. Starved of cash to buy first-team players at the level required, the Belgian plans to grow his own instead. And Cameron is clearly part of the plan.
Yet, before he picks his next employer, the Dundee midfielder might want to spend the next few weeks tracking the progress of Bailey Rice. Waiting to see whether Old Trafford was evidence of a renewed desire to give young players a chance of playing for Rangers or another act of short-term convenience to fill the gaps left by injuries and suspensions.
His former Motherwell team-mate Lennon Miller has raked up games and is attracting interest
Ibrox target Lyall Cameron, left, is another youngster to have benefited from first-team football
DON’T KID YOURSELF JOTA WORSHIPS CELTIC
When Kieran Tierney returns to Celtic, he’ll do it because he loves the club. When Jota returns to Celtic, he’ll do it because he had no better offers.
There’s no point in sugar coating this. Professional footballers don’t grow up in Portugal and Japan dreaming of life in a wet and windy city in northern Europe where it’s dark at 10am and they can’t understand a word anyone says.
Life in Glasgow might be fun for a bit. The money might suit them for two or three seasons. When push comes to shove, most are using Scotland as a stepping stone to bigger and better leagues.
England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are where the money and the glamour reside. And some – like Kyogo Furuhashi – would rather move to the team sitting 14th in Ligue One than finish the season at the club sitting top of the Premiership.
Rennes is no one’s idea of a fashion capital to match London, Paris, Madrid, Munich or Rome. The trouble is that Kyogo turned 30 this week. A forward running out of time, he had to strike while the iron was still hot and he’ll earn more in France than he ever did in Scotland.
Kieran Tierney’s Celtic return would be because he loves the club, while Jota’s would be because the winger has no better offers
Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota will trade places this week, with the Japanese on his way to Rennes
Fans could see that he was missing more chances. He never really seemed to suit a Brendan Rodgers team. Desperate to leave when Atlanta United came calling in the summer, Celtic had to talk him into staying.
When Atlanta and Rennes came back this time, it made more sense to take the money and reinvest it in a player who actually wanted to be there.
Time will tell if that player is Jota. After a couple of short-lived, joyless marriages in Saudi Arabia and France, the winger will feel the love from a Celtic support who worship the ground he walks on.
Will the passion be returned? Maybe… if the money’s right.