Leon King could be involved in Rangers clash v Lyon after short Youth League outing
By Joe Ellis
Highly-rated defender Leon King could be set for his first Rangers appearance of the season again Lyon on Thursday with options light for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The 17-year-old has been a key figure in the B team since returning from injury but was substituted at halftime in the Gers’ UEFA Youth League game against Septemvri Sofia on Tuesday.
While a reoccurrence of a previous injury could have been the cause of his withdrawal, his name could be in the Rangers travelling squad with it likely that there was some management of his workload in the Youth League.
Van Bronckhorst has been forced into including the teenager in his squad to play Lyon after it was confirmed yesterday (Wednesday) that Filip Helander and Leon Balogun would miss the trip through injury.
Jack Simpson could have been an option however he wasn’t included in the UEFA Europa League squad by the previous manager Steven Gerrard and can’t be registered until the knockout stages begin.
With just Connor Goldson and Calvin Bassey as senior centre-halves, King heads to France as primary backup at the heart of the defence but with qualification secured already, van Bronckhorst could be tempted to give the sought-after defender his first game of the season.
English Premier League sides have reportedly shown a keen interest in the teenager [Daily Record], including Aston Villa who poached Gerrard from Rangers in November.
Manchester United, Newcastle United and Leicester City have also been looking at King who could be available for just a compensation fee this summer when his existing contract expires.
Kyle McClelland is another B team player who could make the travelling squad but he is less likely to feature having played the full 90 minutes on Tuesday.
In other Rangers news, this Ger could get his first start of the season against Lyon.