Stew hopes to bear fruit of Auchenhowie investment
STEWART Robertson hopes Rangers will soon be able to reap the rewards of their investment in Auchenhowie as the next generation of Light Blue kids look to make their breakthrough at Ibrox.
Rangers have made significant strides forward at youth level in recent months under the watch of head of academy Craig Mulholland.
Under-20 boss Graeme Murty, currently in charge of the first team, regularly promotes his most promising young talents up through the age ranks to test them in the Development League, with the likes of Billy Gilmour and Liam Burt emerging as ones to watch this term. And managing director Robertson is keen to see the Gers proteges take the next step and push for a first-team place in the coming years.
He told RangersTV: “The academy is fundamental to what we do as a football club. We invest a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of resource into the academy.
“You can see that from the representation that we now have within the international squads at 15, 16 and 17-year-olds. Also from the game programme we are aiming to implement, best versus best, you can see that the boys are growing from that.
“It’s a key part of the plan to get the club back to the top that we are growing our own. I think the fans love it when they see young players coming through, I know that I do.
“When you see a young player coming through the academy and is then pulling on the first-team jersey, it is a great thing to see and you hope that they go on to do well.”