Why Rangers should consider loaning out Glenn Middleton in January
According to the Daily Record, Rangers are planning to send youngster Glenn Middleton out on loan in the January window, with clubs in the Netherlands keen to snap him up on a short-term deal.
The 20-year-old is held in high regard by the coaching staff at Ibrox and manager Steven Gerrard, but has found regular minutes hard to come by this season. Middleton has made only one substitute appearance so far, which came in the Betfred Cup win over Falkirk last month.
Middleton has continued to impress for the club at the youth level and recently bagged a brace against Clyde in the Glasgow Cup victory. His lack of game time at the senior level has, however, prompted Rangers to arrange yet another loan spell for the winger. Dutch outfits ADO Den Hag and Breda are understood to have expressed an interest in the Scottish U-21 international.
The Glasgow-born ace started his footballing education in the youth ranks of Northampton Town before joining the Norwich City academy in 2012. He never made a competitive appearance for the Canaries but his performances at the youth level were enough to convince Rangers to offer him a return in January 2018.
Middleton made a positive impression during Gerrard’s first season in charge at Ibrox. Despite not being a regular starter, the winger still managed 28 appearances across all competitions. He finished the 2018-19 campaign with decent returns of 5 goals and 5 assists. However, he had a few setbacks due to injuries and failed to make a single appearance last term.
The 20-year-old spent the first half of the previous campaign on loan at Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership before moving south of the border to join Bradford City in League Two on a temporary deal. On his return, Middleton has found it almost impossible to break into the first-team picture this term due to stiff competition for places.
Middleton’s situation at Rangers is unlikely to change in the coming months. With Ryan Kent very much a regular on the left and Gerrard opting to rotate the likes of Ianis Hagi and Kemar Roofe on the right, the youngster is expected to find it difficult to establish himself in a prominent role. Brandon Barker and Greg Stewart are also ahead of him in the pecking order.
Nevertheless, Glenn Middleton remains an exciting young player with plenty of room for development but he needs regular game time to take his game to the next level. With Gerrard finding it hard to accommodate him in his plans, the Gers should arrange another loan move for the youngster to help him get matches under his belt.
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Verdict
Glenn Middleton needs to play senior competitive football to hone his skills to give himself a better chance of competing for a place at Ibrox next season. A temporary move to the Netherlands could open the door for him to do just that. Having said that, Rangers loaning him out in January would be a fair settlement for all parties involved.
