Glasgow Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson masterminded a 3-1 victory over Fenerbahce in the last-16 of the Europa League last week, sparking boisterous scenes among the away end at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.
It was a typical European display by Rangers, shining when many expected the Ibrox side to crumble due to the hostile environment in Istanbul.
While this may have been an excellent result, a few days prior, Ferguson had lost his second Premiership clash in charge of the Light Blues, going down to Motherwell at Ibrox.
The title race is effectively over, with Celtic leading the Gers by a staggering 16 points with just nine games left. This means Ferguson must start giving chances to a few of the young talents who are making their way at the club.
Philippe Clement failed to properly give certain talents proper time on the pitch, preferring to play the likes of Kieran Dowell rather than bleed someone who has the potential to make the grade at Ibrox.
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Zak Lovelace was one of the brightest youngsters at the club, scoring 17 times in 34 B team games, before moving back down to Millwall during the winter window.
In the here and now, Bailey Rice certainly stands out. He has featured just five times throughout the current campaign, although he did impress against Manchester United in the Europa League, coming on for the second half.
The midfielder has a bright future ahead of him, but Ferguson should be giving him plenty of chances, especially with the chances of silverware gone.
Findlay Curtis is another academy starlet who was given a few chances under the Belgian. While lively against Manchester United and Fraserburgh, Curtis has yet to feature under Ferguson.
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With Ferguson replacing Philippe Clement, he could turn to the club’s youth ranks as Rangers look to salvage what they can from their season.
Whoever comes in to manage the Ibrox side on a permanent basis this summer, must utilise the talent that is coming through Auchenhowie, otherwise, the youth system is a total waste.
Over the years, the Light Blues have lost various players to the system. Either bigger clubs have snatched them up (Billy Gilmour, for example) or they have been released early (Lewis Morgan) without ever getting a chance to prove their worth.
One player who the Gers let go for nothing when he was aged just 14 has since gone on to become one of the finest Scottish midfielders of his generation.
Lewis Ferguson has gone from Ibrox to Pittodrie to playing against the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus in Serie A. Imagine where he would be if Rangers didn’t release him?
Lewis Ferguson’s career in Scotland
Leaving Rangers didn’t deter Ferguson, and he was soon snapped up by Hamilton, going on to make 14 first-team appearances for the club after making his way through their academy system.
The youngster was even hailed as a “diamond” by former owner of the club, Ronnie MacDonald, before Aberdeen signed him in the summer of 2018, adding some dynamism to their midfield under Derek McInnes.
It didn’t take long for him to showcase his talents. Indeed, he scored the winner against Rangers in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden in October 2018, which would have upset both his dad, Derek, and uncle Barry, who both played for the Ibrox side previously.
Overall, his spell in the north-east produced an impressive tally of 37 goals and 23 assists across 169 games, working out as a goal contribution once every 2.8 matches.
It was clear his future lay away from Aberdeen. In the summer of 2022, there were some rumours of Rangers reportedly showing interest, but the Pittodrie outfit were never likely to sell to another Scottish club.
|
Lewis Ferguson’s career statistics |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2023/24 |
33 |
6 |
5 |
|
2022/23 |
33 |
7 |
0 |
|
2021/22 |
45 |
16 |
1 |
|
2020/21 |
41 |
10 |
5 |
|
2019/20 |
39 |
3 |
9 |
|
2018/19 |
44 |
8 |
8 |
|
2017/18 |
15 |
0 |
6 |
|
Via Transfermarkt |
|||
Indeed, it was Serie A side Bologna who secured his services for a fee of just £3m that summer. A deal which has turned into a superb bargain.
How Lewis Ferguson is shining in Italy
The Scot netted seven goals in just 33 games for Italian side Bologna during his maiden season on the continent, impressing significantly for the club.
Last season was even better. In 33 matches, the Scot netted six times while registering five assists in all competitions.
In Serie A, he created two big chances, averaged one key pass and succeeded with 0.5 dribbles per game. Defensively, Ferguson won 5.1 total duels per game in the top flight, along with recovering 4.6 balls and making 1.2 tackles per match.
He was taking to Italian football with ease, building his reputation up steadily and there was even interest from Juventus during the 2024 winter transfer window.
Disaster occurred in May last year, however, as Ferguson suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a clash against Monza, ruling him out for months, which meant he would miss representing Scotland at Euro 2024.
It was a major blow, but he has made his return this season, scoring one league goal in 11 appearances.
Since joining for just £3m, his value has risen significantly over the previous three years.
One day, Ferguson will depart Bologna, no doubt about that, and the club will likely secure a major profit on their initial investment, however, as the midfielder’s value has risen significantly since joining in 2022.
According to Transfermarkt, the former Aberdeen sensation is now worth £19m at the time of writing, a rise of 533%. For context, that valuation places him ahead of anyone in the squad, including star men Cyriel Dessers (£3m) and Vaclav Cerny (£7m).
It has been an impressive rise over the previous few years, and if he can recapture his form before he suffered his injury, this figure could continue to soar.
Rangers must now be rueing the decision to release Ferguson all those years ago. Of course, there was no guarantee back then that the player would go on to shine for a host of clubs and his national side, but giving him another couple of years at the academy would have been the best option.
Now, they are being made to pay, especially with just how good a player Ferguson has turned out to be since moving to Italy.
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