Kris Boyd has ripped into the Rangers academy for failing to produce enough quality players as the club close in on the signing of Motherwell sensation Jack Hastie.
The Sky Sports pundit and Kilmarnock striker claimed the imminent signing of 20-year-old Hastie “does raise some questions” about the effectiveness of the Ibrox youth set-up.
Former Gers front man Boyd claims the club should be getting better value for money from the club’s lavishly-funded academy.
“It does raise some questions about what’s going on at the Rangers academy right now,” Boyd told the Scottish Sun. “Why are they having to go out and buy another teenager from another club when they’re spending fortunes on that place?
“But maybe this is a sign of things to come. Rangers and Celtic have always monitored youngsters at other Scottish clubs.
“I just think with the resources and money they have spent on their own youth structures, this sort of transfer covers them in no glory.”
OPINION
Boyd has a fair point. Two months after taking advantage of Jordan Jones’ contract status at Kilmarnock, Rangers are widely reported to be on the verge of signing another young winger on a pre-contract. Dave King and the Ibrox board may be wondering why they are having to prise the best young players from rival SPL clubs, rather than produce them at their Auchenhowie headquarters. Bar the impressive Ross McCrorie, Barrie McKay was the last player to emerge from the youth set-up to establish himself as a mainstay of the first team before being bafflingly sold by Pedro Caixinha two years in an episode of counter-productive bloodletting. There is talk of an excellent crop of young players emerging from the Rangers academy, but the acid test is how many of them progress into Steven Gerrard’s senior side. Until there is a stream of them emerging, the questions from Boyd and company is going to remain.