Ibrox View: Rangers may already have the next James Tavernier right under their noses
Rangers have a lot of exciting young players on their books and left-back James Maxwell, who is on loan at Queen of the South, is among them.
Maxwell, 18, joined the Light Blues from Falkirk in 2017 and, as confirmed on the club’s official website, had been training with Steven Gerrard’s first-team last season.
The Scotland Under-19 international didn’t play for the senior side last term but was a regular in the youth sides, playing in the UEFA Youth League and the Challenge Cup, when the Gers’ reserves side reached the semi-finals.
Maxwell joined Queen of the South on loan in September and things have gone swimmingly for the teenager so far with him playing seven times in all competitions and even scoring two goals.
On Tuesday night, the marauding left-back helped secure a 3-1 win against Queen’s Park at Hampden by netting a superb goal which saw him cut in from the left, use his quick footwork to wrong-foot the home side’s defenders before slotting the ball into the back of the net.
Rangers’ website describes Maxwell as a “highly regarded and energetic left-back” while after Queen of the South’s win over Queen’s Park, manager Allan Johnston also had high praise for the teenager.
“He is a really good young kid and is doing really well,” Johnston told Qosfc.com.
“He has got a big future ahead of him and I’m sure the experience of playing week in week out will help his development.”
James Tavernier has been making shockwaves in Scottish and European football this season with his phenomenal goalscoring record but it seems Rangers have another full-back just like the first-team captain right under their noses.
Below are images of Maxwell and Tavernier’s heatmaps [WyScout] in league football this season and as you can see, both show that the two full-backs are attack-minded.
Tavernier’s has a more red than Maxwell’s due to him playing 14 times in the league this season while Maxwell has played just three times in the Scottish Championship since joining Queen of the South.
It shows how much Maxwell likes to bomb forward and stats by WyScout back that up too.
The 18-year-old has assisted 1.06 shots, 1.41 touches inside the penalty area, 3.88 progressive runs and 2.47 dribbles per 90 minutes of Championship football this season.
It’s no surprise that he’s such an attack-minded left-back as earlier in his career he played as a winger and has since been developed to play as part of a back-line at Rangers.
Rangers’ academy is one of the best in the United Kingdom and although Maxwell only jumped on board a few years ago, he could easily go down as one of the club’s success stories.
And we think he’s showing all the potential to be the next Tavernier, albeit a left-sided version of the Light Blues captain.
In other Rangers news, Glasgow City Council have approved planning permission for a new development on Edminston Drive.