Journalist Joshua Barrie, who has featured on Sky Sports, has questioned whether Alex Lowry leaving Rangers on loan is the right idea.
Barrie has suggested that Lowry spending time away from Ibrox even in a move that would bring regular football, isn’t as beneficial as remaining at the club.
The 19-year-old starred for the Gers’ B team as they beat Civil Service Strollers 3-1 on Tuesday, with Lowry bagging a hat-trick including a breathtaking clincher that oozed class as he flicked the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Lowry made his first SPFL appearance of the season in the 3-0 win against Motherwell last month as he played 67 minutes, but he’s since not been back in the squad and proved this week he’s too good to not be playing first-team football.
Speaking on The Rangers Review, Barrie revealed he’s unconvinced that a loan spell would be the best thing for Lowry right now, he said:
“It’s not a question of talent or ability at all, I think he has that now, I don’t think it’s a question of confidence because everyone can see that Lowry rightly has that, I think it’s a question of him developing those areas whatever they may be, presumably off-the-ball stuff.
“I don’t think the game time and responsibility he’d get out on loan outweighs the fact he is already good enough as a player – it’s just about defining those attributes, which I think would happen out on the training pitch with Michael Beale.”
TIF Thoughts on Barrie’s comments…
Lowry’s midweek hat trick arguably proved that he’s too good for the Lowland Football League, but with the strength at Beale’s disposal in the first team, he may not receive the minutes that his development yearns.
One solution would be a loan spell until the end of the season, which would give the teenager ample opportunity to prove his place in the first team at Ibrox whilst picking up valuable senior football, potentially at another SPFL side.
Barrie does raise a good point, though, as remaining at Ibrox until the end of the season allows Beale the time to fine-tune him for the first team if he believes that he’s at the level to be a useful option over the second half of the season.
There’s set to be a big decision with no options ruled off the table yet for Lowry regarding what the rest of the campaign has in store for him.