Kenny Dalglish reckons Alex Lowry will have to step it up from last season to force his way into Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers first team on a regular basis.
The talented teenager burst onto the scene last term and earned rave reviews for some of his performances. Former Ibrox midfielder Kevin Thomson touted him as a readymade replacement for Joe Aribo following the Nigeria international’s big money move to English Premier League side Southampton. Lowry himself was rumoured to be heading to England with clubs such as Newcastle United linked with the Lanarkshire star. However, he ended all speculation last season when he penned a new contract at Rangers to keep him at the club until at least 2025.
The young Scot is the exception in committing himself to the Scottish Premiership with so many stars heading south of the border or abroad at a young age. Lowry’s former Rangers team-mate Rory Wilson joined Aston Villa at just 16-years-old with Calvin Ramsay leaving Aberdeen for English giants Liverpool and Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig on the verge of moves to Italy where Aaron Hickey had a spell before joining Brentford, having left Hearts for Bologna.
Writing in his Sunday Post column, Dalglish said: “Alex Lowry decided to extend his deal with Rangers, and right now he is in Portugal, with a chance to show Giovanni van Bronckhorst that he is ready to step up and play regular first-team football. He showed on a few occasions last season that he is talented and has a good mentality. He now needs to move that up a level, and that’s exactly what he’ll be trying to do.”
On the exodus of top talent, Liverpool legend Dalglish said: “Looking at the quality of youngsters coming through in Scotland right now, I think our game is in a good place. In the past few years, we have seen Kieran Tierney and Billy Gilmour come through the ranks at the Old Firm to move to massive clubs in the English Premier League.
"Aaron Hickey also made a name for himself at Hearts as a 16-year-old, and joined Bologna two years later. And now he’s the latest Scot to join the Premier League after his £17m move to Brentford. Calvin Ramsay moved to Anfield from Aberdeen last month, with the Dons receiving a record transfer fee.
“Aston Villa recently snapped up both 16-year-old striker, Rory Wilson, from Rangers and Kerr Smith, who’s just a year older, from Dundee United. And at Hibernian, Josh Doig has been attracting interest from several European clubs, and could well move to Hellas Verona in Serie A this week.
“Andy Robertson took a route from Queen’s Park to Dundee United and on to Hull City before landing his transfer to Liverpool. He is now one of the most accomplished left-backs in European football.
“Nathan Patterson will hope to put his injuries behind him and follow suit at Everton after leaving Rangers in the previous window for a substantial fee. Of course, the financial terms are important for the selling club that will have nurtured a talent through the ranks.
"But the young players should also take into account the type of football club they are moving to. That’s why Calvin Ramsay – who has an injury concern right now – moving to Liverpool is a great one for him. Jurgen Klopp has shown that if you have the talent, then a pathway to the first team will be provided.
“Calvin might play in the Carabao Cup this season for the first-team, or he might not. But he will train every day with some top professionals, and that will bring his game on leaps and bounds. I’m sure there will be many teenagers at various clubs around the country looking at all of these guys and using them as motivation to get to the very top.”
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