Hartlepool United want to sign Rangers winger Josh McPake this summer
Rangers winger Josh McPake could leave Ibrox this summer on loan after Hartlepool United made their interest in a deal known, according to The Northern Echo [June 6].
20-year-old McPake has come through the academy but has spent every season since 2019 out on loan, spending the first half of the 2021/22 campaign at Morecambe before joining Tranmere Rovers in January.
But he signed a new contract until 2024 before those moves, and now Hartlepool boss Paul Hartley has declared his interest in taking the youngster on loan to League Two once again for the new season.
After making over half of his senior appearances in that league the club have identified him as a target, but they will have to battle Carlisle and several Scottish clubs to seal the deal.
It’s believed that McPake, who can play on either wing, is seen as a direct replacement for last season’s top goalscorer Luke Molyneux who they expect to leave the club this summer too.
Experience
When the new season starts McPake will be about to turn 21-years-old and that is a perfect age for him to be playing regular football and making an impact.
Rangers right now have a squad that he can’t get into such is the quality, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be good enough in the future to even have a squad role.
This would be a great chance for the Rangers staff to take a good look at him when he’s given some serious responsibility in a team to see how he deals with it.
A loan deal makes the most sense for everyone and at the end of any deal the club will still have another year on his contract to either renew it, integrate him into the squad or sell him for a fee.
Now it’s about making sure it’s the best club to help him develop, and Hartlepool are ensuring that they put their name in the hat nice and early.
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