There was a lot of hype around the loan signing of teenage sensation Mikey Moore on a season-long deal from English Premier League side Tottenham this summer. The highly-rated youngster’s delayed debut, postponed until after his 18th birthday, only added to the anticipation of seeing him in a Rangers shirt.
Since then, Moore has featured in seven matches, starting the last four, but has only registered a single assist: a mishit shot against Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup. Thursday’s 1-0 home defeat to Belgian side Genk in the UEFA Europa League was a particularly poor outing.
Dribbling into traffic, running the ball out of play, bullied physically, and failing to muster a shot on target, he was hooked at half-time, leaving the support with a pressing question: Why is a loan player, developing for the benefit of another club, being picked ahead of our own prospect, Findlay Curtis, when he isn’t contributing to Rangers?
Curtis, in stark contrast, broke through last season and has already scored three in nine games this campaign. Called “excellent” by then-interim boss Barry Ferguson, once himself an Ibrox prospect who broke through, and praised by the great Sir Alex Ferguson, his tally includes a Champions League strike against Panathinaikos and a crucial late leveller away to St Mirren in the Premiership.
Yet, since that goal in Paisley, he has been limited to just 56 further minutes of football, restricted domestically to cameos against Celtic and Hibs. Curtis has shown an eye for goal and looks assured at Premiership level, something Moore has yet to demonstrate.
This brings into question the value of development loans. Established pros who have fallen out of favour at their parent clubs, such as Vaclav Černý and Abdallah Sima, have arrived and made an impact. But the track record with raw youngsters is patchier. Amad Diallo, Rafael Fernandes, and Fábio Silva all flattered to deceive, while Malik Tillman blew hot and cold. The only genuine success story in this area remains Ryan Kent, and that was seven years ago.
Loans are part and parcel of the modern game, especially with transfer fees and wages skyrocketing. But for a club of Rangers’ stature, with the competitive demands we face, they are of limited use. We need players who can deliver immediately, not project players whose development primarily benefits someone else’s club.
Even experienced loans can backfire, see Max Aarons this season or the infamous Aaron Ramsey deal during the Seville campaign, but they at least carry a higher potential upside. Development loans, on the other hand, too often block the pathway for our own prospects.
When homegrown players like Curtis are already proving to be a step ahead of the loanees, why persist? It’s time Rangers properly utilise the youth system we invest so heavily in.
This weekend’s clash with Livingston, a physical, seasoned SPFL side, demands players who can stand up and contribute. On form, Moore should drop out. Curtis has earned the chance to start and deserves the run in the team his contributions merit.