The 4th Official
·30 December 2020
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·30 December 2020
According to a recent report by the Daily Record, Rangers midfielder Glenn Middleton is on the radar of a couple of Dutch clubs, as the Ibrox outfit consider loaning him out to gain some much-needed playing time and first-team experience. The report suggests that the speedster is set to move away from Glasgow on a short-term deal, potentially starting in January 2021. While it has been claimed that Gerrard rates the player quite highly, he is said to be looking to loan the youngster out.
Although Dutch clubs are keen on a loan deal for Rangers’ Glenn Middleton, whether or not it’s the right next step for his career remains to be seen. However, Gerrard certainly seems to feel as though some time away would do the player a world of good. The manager has seemingly been trying to adapt the youngster to several different positions, including left-back and wing-back. Renowned Eredivisie outfits NAC Breda and Den Haag are both said to be interested in the speedster, whose impact on Rangers’ first-team has been extremely limited.
The 20-year-old is a left-winger by position, but with Ryan Kent already in the team, the number of chances he could receive would always be minimal. The former Liverpool man has been nothing short of sublime in parts this season, and no level of performance from Middleton would’ve been enough to displace Kent from the Gers’ starting eleven.
However, that takes nothing away from what the Scot himself can offer to the team, as he has the potential to develop into something special.
A willing runner with the ball at his feet, Middleton’s directness and ability to go past players will be quite important to them in the years to come. Standing at just under 1.75m tall, the Scot boasts an extremely low centre of gravity, allowing him to go past challenges with ease. Not just that, despite now having been given too many first-team opportunities over recent months, his finishing and footballing intelligence needn’t be questioned either.
The Ibrox club have been in fine form since the start of the season, and that is something that has perhaps worked against the youngster. As happy as he will be that his team are top of the Premiership with a comfortable 16 points-gap, the fact that he hasn’t played enough will certainly be frustrating. The youngster’s only appearance this season came off the bench in a Betfred Cup game earlier in the competition, with not even a single minute of Premiership football registered.
At 20, the Scot still has a massive future ahead of him, and like most other players in the world, a loan spell is a good way for the club to analyse and understand just what a player is capable of. Given the Gers’ current squad depth and situation across various competitions, it doesn’t look like the kind of season where Middleton could be handed ample opportunities. Gerrard is unlikely to risk breaking the formula that has worked so well for him this season, and with the best interest of the player in mind, a short-term loan deal could be the way to go.
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