Glasgow Rangers may have suffered a late defeat at Old Trafford which hampered their chances of securing a top eight finish in the Europa League, but there were a couple of positives for the Ibrox side.
Manchester United may have scored a late goal, but the match could easily have finished 1-1, as several of the starting XI performed admirably against the Red Devils.
Injury issues hit the Light Blues hard, however, which meant Philippe Clement had to bring in three players aged 21 or younger into the fray during the final 45 minutes of the game.
Leon King, Findlay Curtis, and Bailey Rice have gained some precious game time against the English giants, which will stand them in good stead over the coming months.
One player who didn’t make the pitch was Zak Lovelace, as King was brought on instead during the dying embers to try and see the game out.
The Englishman has had his fair share of injury problems since moving to Rangers in the summer of 2022, but if he can remain fit and secure the odd minutes here and there, there is no doubt he can have a bright future at Ibrox.
Why Zak Lovelace can make the grade at Rangers
Aged just 15 years old, Lovelace came off the bench for Millwall during a game against Coventry in December 2021, becoming the second-youngest player in the club’s history.
Manager Gary Rowett even had to get permission from his school to include him in the matchday squad, but even at such a tender age, the potential was there.
A few months later, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst announced that Rangers had secured the signature of Lovelace, who was placed straight into the club’s B team, where he would continue his development.
It didn’t take him long to settle into his new surroundings, going on to score 18 goals for the B team while registering ten assists across all competitions, including four in the UEFA Youth League.
He even made his first team debut for the Gers in August 2022, just weeks after signing, coming off the bench for the final few minutes against Queen of the South in the League Cup.
Due to an injury crisis, Lovelace was given his first senior start against St Mirren in October 2023. He looked lively, creating a couple of chances, and it looked as though the club had an academy talent who had everything in his locker to be a success.
That was until he suffered an injury during the game, ruling him out for the majority of the campaign.
This season, the 19-year-old has made two appearances for the club, one in Europe with the other coming against Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup recently. During that tie, he looked incredibly bright on the left flank, not scared to take on opposition defenders and make his way into the box.
The goal for Clement now is to give him more minutes on the pitch between now and the end of the season. The Premiership title is out of the club’s hands now, with Celtic establishing a dominant lead in the table. Therefore, blooding youngsters is the way forward.
Rice is another who deserves a chance to showcase his abilities from the start, especially given how well he played against Man Utd on Thursday.
Curtis, however, is a player who could become the next big thing at Ibrox, surpassing even Lovelace potentially.
Findlay Curtis is an exciting talent
Curtis has been with the Gers since he was just six, emerging through every age group with ease. Starting off as a striker, before moving to the wing and then into the heart of the midfield.
He signed a contract extension last summer, discussing his positional versality, saying: “I started as a striker but last year Stevie and Cameron Campbell gave me a chance at left wing against St Mirren then the next week I played in central midfield against Celtic and it was one of the best games I played.
“So I kept playing in that position for the full year and I enjoyed it. I feel comfortable and really enjoy playing in midfield.
“You can do so much more there and are involved all the time so I can play as a 10 or an 8 and I enjoy those positions.”
Being able to play across a multitude of positions could come in handy for Clement, who gave the 18-year-old his senior debut against Fraserburgh last weekend. During his 30 minutes on the pitch, he looked livelier than Ross McCausland, sending out a positive message to the manager.
Scottish content creator Kai Watson hailed Curtis following the 5-0 victory, saying: “Fully understand it’s against Fraserburgh but Findlay Curtis has looked really bright since coming on.”
He also made an appearance against Man Utd on Thursday evening, replacing the injured Vaclav Cerny with just half an hour to go.
During his time on the pitch, Curtis not only won 100% of his ground duels against the Old Trafford side, but he also had a shot on target while making two tackles.
It was evident that the youngster was not overawed by the occasion, giving it everything against players who were worth millions.
With Rice, Lovelace, Mason Munn, and Curtis, Clement has a solid group of players who look ready to finally make an impression in the senior ranks.
Of course, injuries certainly help their cause, gaining opportunities due to the misfortune of others, but sometimes, this is what makes a player.
Leon King benefited a couple of seasons ago, playing six matches in the Champions League while standing in at centre-back.
This group of youngsters must now take the bull by the horns and really kick on under the Belgian. If not, it could be yet another case of wasted talent at Ibrox, something that occurs frequently.
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