Charlie Adam has revealed how his loan spell away from Rangers proved crucial to his development as the former Ibrox midfielder's experience offers an interesting insight into the club's current strategy with young players.
Adam was just 18 when Rangers sent him to Ross County in 2004, with the midfielder stepping into senior football after impressing for the club's youth sides.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, Adam reflected on the impact of that move and explained why getting away from Ibrox was so important for his development.
And his comments provide an interesting comparison with Rangers' current crop of young players gaining experience elsewhere, including Paul Nsio at St Mirren and Bailey Rice at Kilmarnock.
“That loan move was a great part of my development and growth, which was really good,” Adam reflected.
“That feeling of playing for three points, win bonuses and handling expectations. It was an amazing feeling to be part of a team every week where you’re playing for something with a reward at the end of it. It was a brilliant experience. I loved it.
“There are a lot of things that go on with a loan for each player, but it was a real benefit to me.
“I was doing well for Rangers under-18s and under-21s, but being in a man’s first team environment was really key in terms of the next stage of my career.”
Adam admits Rangers loan was a 'massive shock'
The move to Dingwall was not straightforward for the teenage Adam who was tasked with leaving Glasgow and his familiar surroundings to live in the Highlands, which represented a major change, with the future Scotland international admitting the move was a “massive shock” initially.
“Ross County wanting me to go on loan when I was 18 was a massive shock in terms of Glasgow being a long way from Dingwall,” he explained.
“Yet when you think of it, it’s not actually a long way when you compare it to playing in England.
“But back then, you did feel that trips to Inverness or Dingwall always felt like a long way away, but I loved my time at Ross County. It was a club always looking to improve.”
Current Rangers youngsters taking the same route
Rangers continue to use loan moves as a way of giving developing players regular senior football away from the pressure of Ibrox.
Nsio is currently gaining experience with St Mirren, while Rice is spending the season at Kilmarnock, with both players getting the opportunity to test themselves in the Scottish Premiership.
The circumstances are different from Adam's move to Ross County, but the principle remains the same, stepping away from the academy environment and playing competitive first-team men’s football.
That transition was vital for the former Rangers midfielder who went on to enjoy a lengthy career, representing the likes of Blackpool, Liverpool and Stoke City, while winning 26 Scotland caps.
His Rangers loan was only a short chapter of that journey, but one he still regards as hugely important.
Injury cut Adam's Ross County spell short
Adam's time in Dingwall was eventually cut short by injury, a groin problem refused to clear up and forced him back to Rangers in January, just as he was establishing himself in senior football.
“Unfortunately for me, I was a young player that got injured and had to cut the loan short,” he said.
“I had a groin injury, and it just didn’t clear up, and I ended up coming back in January, which was hugely disappointing.
“That was the first time I’d really been injured, so it was difficult, but I couldn’t fault the club and the people around it at that time that helped me a long way.”
Adam returned to Rangers for the remainder of the campaign before heading out on another loan, this time to St Mirren before becoming a first-team regular in 2006/07 under Paul Le Guen and latterly Walter Smith.
Nsio and Rice will hope they can follow Adam’s path next season.
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