Phil Neville has revealed he spoke to Rangers about Kevin Kelsy's proposed transfer to the club.
Neville, the former Manchester United, Everton, and England right-back, managed the Venezuelan striker for 55 matches at MLS side Portland Timbers.
With Kelsy set to join Rangers for £9 million, Neville spoke glowingly about the man who scored 14 goals under his stewardship.
"No, because he's a star," Neville said, when asked if he's surprised at the fee Rangers are paying for Kelsy. "When you look at the attributes needed to play at the top, top level – it's not just the finishing, it's not just the physique, it's his attitude.
"We landed once at one in the morning, and he went straight to the training ground to do his recovery. And he did that every week.
"He set the alarm off, the caretaker had to come out, the GM (general manager) called me saying, 'What's going on at the training ground?'. It was Kevin Kelsy doing his recovery.
Phil Neville breaks down the reported Kevin Kelsey to Rangers transfer. pic.twitter.com/81ARrc3Wve
— MLS on Air (@MLSonAir) August 29, 2026
"He does the little things incredibly well. They're spending on potential. He's not the finished article yet, he's got a long way to go. His year at Portland was up and down, but I just saw star quality, his runs, his arrogance, his belief in himself.
"I spoke to Rangers last week, and I said you will get someone who's not the finished article, but if you give him lots of love and let him develop, he can be a star."
Read more:
Capped six times by his country, Kelsy stands at 6ft 4in. In total, he scored 19 goals and provided five assists in 63 Portland Timbers appearances.
He is set to become Derek McInnes' latest summer signing ahead of next Thursday's transfer deadline.
