Rohl can save millions on Skov Olsen by unleashing Rangers' homegrown Moore

On a frustrating afternoon in the Premiership title race for Glasgow Rangers, it was also a day of differing fortunes for Danny Rohl‘s side in attack – including two men who may or may not be at Ibrox next season.

Starting with Mikey Moore, the teenage loanee was at the centre of everything good about the Gers yet again, scoring a vital late equaliser on Sunday, having also been denied a potential penalty at the death.

The 18-year-old is the most valuable player in the division and is proving why right now, with reports suggesting that Rohl and co are hoping to extend his stay in Glasgow heading into next season.

Whether the Tottenham Hotspur-owned talent does stay put remains to be seen, while the future of starting right-winger, Andreas Skov Olsen, also remains an intriguing debate, not least following the Dane’s early withdrawal at the weekend.

Skov Olsen’s performance in numbers vs Livingston

After the highs of last weekend’s win over leaders Hearts, this was not the time for Rangers to drop points, not least faced with bottom club Livingston.

The Gers were the dominant force against Marvin Bartley’s men, creating seven ‘big chances’ in all, yet could only notch twice, with both of those goals coming after the hosts had been reduced to ten men.

Rohl’s side simply hadn’t been clinical enough, with Skov Olsen proving the early victim of a frustrating first-half display, having been replaced by Bojan Miovski as the German shuffled his pack.

Moore vs Skov Olsen – vs Livi
Stat	Moore	Skov Olsen
Minutes	90	45
Touches	52	21
Goals/Assists	1	0
Key passes	5	3
Pass accuracy	88%	92%
Big chances created	1	1
Shots	6	0
Dribbles	0/2	0/0
Ball lost	12	6
Carries	23	9

Whether that was the right call or not is up for debate, with that opening 45 seeing the on-loan Wolfsburg man provide three key passes and attempt seven crosses, albeit while recording just 21 touches and winning only a single duel.

The former Club Brugge star had provided an assist for Youssef Chermiti a week earlier, although he wasn’t exactly at his sparkling best against the Edinburgh side either, with Moore certainly Rangers’ main outlet on the opposite side.

Patience needs to be afforded Skov Olsen, although it doesn’t bode well that Rohl was so quick to replace him on Sunday, with the 26-year-old having only a matter of months to prove he is worthy of a hefty £9m permanent investment.

On current evidence, the Gers might be best-placed utilising those funds elsewhere, with Rohl boasting a potential homegrown solution at Ibrox.

Rangers could soon unleash their homegrown Mikey Moore

Forking out a fee of upwards of £9m on Skov Olsen appears too much of a gamble to take at present, with the club’s recent £8m investment in Chermiti still yet to pay off, even with the Portuguese striker scoring five times against Celtic and Hearts this season.

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Instead of turning to the Dane as the club’s long-term answer on the flanks, Rangers could utilise their own teen sensation instead, in the mould of Moore.

Indeed, all the signs point to 19-year-old, Findlay Curtis, having a fruitful future back at Ibrox, with the versatile wideman already impressing out on loan at Kilmarnock.

The youngster – who has operated on either flank, as a number ten or even as a right-back this season – was only recently part of the Killie side that ran Celtic close at Rugby Park, having already notched his first assist for the club a week earlier against St Mirren.

Like Moore – who started centrally but moved out to the left last time out – Curtis is such an exciting and adaptable talent, having already shown flashes of his quality back in Glasgow.

From 26 first-team appearances to date for the Light Blues, he has chalked up three goals and three assists, scoring this season against Panathinaikos, St Mirren and Alloa.

Speaking back in October, club legend Ally McCoist was among those questioning the “bizarre” decision to bring in Moore and the potential impact it could have on young Curtis, with McCoist even suggesting that there is “nothing between the two of them”.

As recent weeks and months have since shown, it’s the Spurs product who does appear to be the step above, although Curtis has shown more than enough, both for Rangers and for Kilmarnock, to suggest that he could have a bright future himself at the top level.

Whether Moore stays or not remains to be seen, but in the case of Skov Olsen, a permanent deal could be avoided if it means handing Curtis the chance to nail down that right flank.