The club has come under fire from Rangers great Kris Boyd for the way Bailey Rice has been treated since leaving Motherwell.
Since moving for £500,000 three seasons ago, the 18-year-old has only been in three Scottish Premier League games and has not yet made an appearance for the senior squad this season.
The vocal former Gers striker likened Rice’s predicament to that of Lennon Miller, a friend from his academy who is doing well at Fir Park and is being linked to moves to Rangers, Celtic, and Liverpool.
Boyd criticized the club’s youth development policy in an interview with the Scottish Sun [page 51, November 20], stating: “There might be talented kids in there, but as soon as they get to an age they are stifled, and they can’t make that big breakthrough.”
“Take Bailey Rice, who had little in common with Lennon Miller while he was at Motherwell. The avenue has been shut for Rice after the Gers made the decision to take him.
“He’s never really been in that first-team environment, so it’s unclear if he’s good enough.”
Bailey Rice must prove that he is worthy of a Rangers opportunity.
Since taking over as manager of the Gers, Philippe Clement has had a difficult time integrating young players into his team because of the constant pandemonium that occurs both on and off the field at Ibrox.
If young players demonstrate they can compete in the Premiership and Europa League, the Belgian manager has indicated that he is prepared to put his faith in them.
When the manager decides that Rice is ready to contribute to the first team, he will almost certainly be given an opportunity if he is as highly regarded as Boyd believes he should be.
By including Ross McCausland in the starting lineup for the past 12 months, Clement has demonstrated that he has no difficulty providing young players first-team opportunities.
only eighteen years old. Rice has plenty of time to make his way into the Gers’ starting lineup, and the worst the team could do would be to bring him in before he’s ready.
In the end, the player must continue to practice and try to make an impression; the management will decide when he is ready to take over.
