£20M Mikey Moore doesn’t yet even look a £200,000 winger for Rangers | OneFootball

Mikey Moore arrived at Rangers with enormous hype and expectation. Rangers fans hoped the Tottenham winger would explode in Glasgow, yet Mikey Moore has failed to shine. Aside from one lively showing against Alloa, Mikey Moore has done nothing to justify his £20m valuation.

Alloa was his peak

Against Alloa in the League Cup he looked sharp. He registered an assist, ran at defenders and offered the spark supporters craved. However that came against a lower-league side who managed two goals against an abysmal Rangers. Since then the supposed future star has struggled in the Premiership and in Europe. Rangers need players who can deliver under pressure and Moore has simply not managed that.

Struggling in big matches

In the derby against Celtic he faded badly. He touched the ball too rarely, lost his duels and offered no cutting edge. Against Hearts he was hooked at half time after a dreadful first half. He lost possession too often and his passing was wasteful. This is not what Rangers expected from a player tipped as a future Premier League star. When you are good enough you are old enough, and he has not shown either.

Spurs may have known

Perhaps Tottenham knew exactly what they were doing. Sending him north has exposed flaws in his game. The pace is intense, the fans are ruthless and Rangers demand winners. Reports in England suggested Spurs saw this loan as development, but it looks more like damage limitation. Moore looks like a boy among men. He may become a fine player one day but right now he is a passenger. The support has seen no sign of the prodigy described in England. Rangers cannot afford to carry players who are still learning basics. Every match matters, every point matters and patience runs thin.

The conclusion is bleak. Commentators in Scotland already speak of him as trapped by pressure at Ibrox. Moore has been poor, ineffective and anonymous. He is 18, yes, but so were many players who made their mark early. Rangers supporters wanted to believe this loan would bring excitement and talent yet they see hesitation and nerves. Only Alloa gave a glimpse of what he might do. Since then he has shown little. Tottenham may have seen this coming, which is why they allowed him to leave. If he cannot cope with Rangers pressure he will never cope with the Premier League.

For Rangers the gamble looks wasted already. The Scottish press have already begun to question his mentality and his ability to adapt. Moore has not delivered and there is no sign he will. Rangers demand fighters and leaders. So far Moore has offered nothing of the sort.