Euro vision can help next Gen reach goals

PETER LOVENKRANDS is confident the next generation of Rangers kids are on the right road as they set their sights on the Ibrox first team.

The Dane is back in Light Blue after being brought on board by Head of Academy Craig Mulholland as part of an Auchenhowie shakeup this summer.

Lovenkrands is primarily involved with the Gers Under-15 squad as he looks to help those under his guidance progress through the ranks.

Rangers announced earlier this year that the second string coached by Graeme Murty would not be competing in the Development League this term as they prepare for a series of fixtures with some of the top Academy teams in Europe.

And the the Under-20s got that adventure underway at the weekend with a promising 2-2 draw against Feyenoord.

Lovenkrands helped McLeish’s side become the first Scottish team to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League as they emerged from a group containing Inter Milan, Porto and Artmedia Bratislava.

And the 37-year-old reckons the chance to go head-to-head with the best players on the continent will help the Gers kids rise to the highest level in the coming years.

“That is the way it should be, I think,” he told SportTimes. “From my career, it was great to play in the Scottish league but it was exciting going to play in the Champions League and Europa League.

“The players can go and test themselves against the best players and best teams in Europe.

“You won’t expect to win every game when you are up against Man Utd or Bayern Munich, but it is the right idea. I fully back it and hopefully the players benefit from it.”

Lovenkrands is also adamant that having the right mentality is key if his Rangers kids are going to forge a career for themselves in Light Blue.

He added “The things they need to understand most is the mindset of the first team. I am trying to get through to them that they can’t let any boy come and take their space and they need to outperform them to keep their space at Rangers.

“If you don’t, you can be replaced. That is really important and that is