Gary Rowett admits he is powerless to stop Rangers target Zak Lovelace leaving
Gary Rowett has reacted to speculation linking Zak Lovelace to Rangers by admitting he is powerless to stop him leaving, report South London Press.
The Daily Record, who term the 15-year-old a “wonderkid”, have reported that the Scottish Premiership leaders have watched him regularly this season.
And due to his age his manager knows that he can do nothing to stand in the way of a transfer for the potentially “top player”.
The Millwall boss told South London Press: “Until they have signed professional contracts you are always open to [other clubs] coming in and pinching them, like they have with some of the other youngsters that have been well-documented over the years.
“John [Berylson, owner] has always made it clear that he wants to keep our best young players and see them in a Millwall shirt. The problem with that is on that journey there are an awful lot of things that can change that situation. We’re aware of that.
“We’ll see because a lot of that is potentially out of our hands.”
One for the future
The young forward became the Lions’ second youngest player ever when he made his first team debut in December and is highly regarded in South London.
He only turns 16 in the next few days so it has been impossible for his club to offer him a professional deal as that is not permitted until a player’s 17th birthday.
As he is so young that raises the prospect that even if he moved to Ibrox now the club could be similarly powerless to stop him moving again in the next year.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s league leaders could be an attractive proposition for the young English player, but Gers are reportedly facing competition from Premier League sides Leicester City and Brighton (Daily Record).
It can be hard for any player to resist the temptation of the top tier in England but there are endless examples of players who disappear into the youth squads of Premier League clubs to never be seen again, so Rangers fans will hope the prospect of being part of another title push north of the border is more attainable draw at this stage.
In other Rangers news, two former Ibrox men blasted these elements of the performance at Aberdeen.