Rangers boss Danny Rohl is poised to take a closer look at an Ibrox rising star who club chiefs think is destined for a great future in Glasgow.
Rangers out of title race but can deal bitter Celtic blow
Celtic Park on Sunday lunchtime, and the Scottish Premiership title race is reaching its most critical point.
Rohl’s Rangers arrive in the east end of Glasgow knowing that anything other than three points effectively ends their faint hope of being champions, and the pressure is immense.
Rangers had been undefeated in 16 league fixtures before the post-split campaign began, but back-to-back defeats to Motherwell and Hearts have left them miles behind leaders Hearts with three games remaining.
A win on Sunday keeps a flicker of hope alive, but Rangers would still need Hearts to drop several points across their remaining fixtures to have any chance, and a defeat would condemn them to their first third-placed finish in the Premiership since 2018.
Celtic’s motivation differently shaped.
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Martin O’Neill has guided the Hoops to four consecutive league wins, but Celtic also arrive trailing Hearts and needing to beat the Gers to keep pressure on.
A win here keeps the title dream alive. A defeat, and the momentum behind Hearts becomes almost impossible to stop.
Rohl has spoken with conviction in the build-up to the game.
“It’s a special game for us,” he said.
“Nobody needs extra motivation to go in this game. We want to make our supporters and fans proud and that means we have to deliver on Sunday.”
The head-to-head record offers Rangers encouragement.
They are unbeaten in their last six Premiership Old Firm fixtures, including three wins and three draws, and have won on each of their last two league visits to Celtic Park.
Away from the drama of the title race, Rangers are quietly pressing ahead with their summer planning, and one name that has caught Rohl’s attention is already on their books.
Rangers make Findlay Curtis plan after Kilmarnock plan
According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, teenage winger Findlay Curtis will be assessed by Rohl during pre-season after he returns to Ibrox from his loan spell at Kilmarnock.
Ibrox chiefs plan to make Curtis, who has enjoyed a productive season at Killie, a mainstay long-term, but before any decisions are made about his future, the Gers’ transfer activity will play a major role.
The ‘hugely talented’ 19-year-old has impressed on loan, making 21 appearances and contributing three goals alongside creative numbers that compare favourably with others in his age bracket.
His 1.53 successful dribbles per 90 and 1.26 chances created per 90 during the Kilmarnock stint have convinced the coaching staff that genuine potential exists.
The issue is one of pathway rather than ability.
Rangers are expected to bring in attacking reinforcements this summer, and those arrivals would push Curtis further down the pecking order at Ibrox.
A further loan move is not off the table if regular first-team minutes cannot be guaranteed.
Crucially, however, Rangers have no intention of letting Curtis leave permanently — the long-term plan is for him to develop into a star at the club, and Rohl wants a full picture of his wide attacking options before making any decision.
That assessment begins in pre-season.
First, there is Sunday to attend to.
Curtis’ future can wait, but three points at Celtic Park cannot.
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