By George Overhill

8th May, 2023 | 6:10pm

Rangers transfer update: BBC Sportscene pundit outlines need for Scott Wright exit replacement in attacking recruitment drive

Neil McCann has heard that Scott Wright might be leaving Rangers this summer and has outlined the importance of getting a dangerous replacement.

The 25-year-old made a purposeful cameo appearance in the 1-0 win over Aberdeen on Sunday but looks to be one of a host of likely departures once the season ends.

With the impact from wide areas a key part of Celtic’s title win, confirmed the same day after victory at Hearts, ex-Ibrox man McCann has made plain that Michael Beale needs to find more production from new arrivals in a major attacking recruitment drive.

Speaking on BBC Sportscene on Sunday (7 May, 44m 55s) McCann assessed the summer business, saying: “I think you’ll be looking at every single area of the team. There could be easily six, seven, eight players that need to come in.

“But there’s a lot of players in contract that probably haven’t done enough to merit a starting jersey. I think some of those players will be allowed an opportunity for the next four games…

“They need to add, without question. Scott Wright, there’s a suggestion that he will leave. He had flashes today of what he’s capable of. Now, if he isn’t going to be here then they need to replace him with types of players who’s going to go and do this, commit people, create chances, because if you’re a wide player at Rangers that’s your job.

“You’ve got to that. You look across the city [Celtic], their wide players are doing it.”

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Wright is, and has been, a serviceable player for Rangers but he never features regularly enough to make a starting job his own, and Beale needs more than handy squad men around now.

Two-and-a-half years after his arrival from Pittodrie he surely wants more regular starts, and with him being one of the few players whose contract isn’t expiring who could reach a small fee at least he is likely in the shop window.

Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and now Beale, have all seen him as little more than a back-up option, so while it might be ironic that the immovable Ryan Kent is now set to leave a space just when Wright is likely to go too, it suggests a man who can make more obvious impact is needed.

A deficiency on the wings has been a major failing over the past couple of seasons, with Kent’s impact in the Europa League on the way to the final a year ago far surpassing anything that he or any alternatives have regularly produced in Scottish football.

Fashion Sakala is dangerous but inconsistent, while Rabbi Matondo and Ianis Hagi have missed a lot of time with injury, and Wright has still remained little more than a reserve.

With Alex Lowry rarely seen in the past 12-months there is a big need for work to be done at the position in the summer, with two or even three of the eight men McCann sees coming in potentially wide attackers.

In other Rangers news, there is increasing talk around one summer transfer target who could be the first to arrive and fill the cap left by Kent and Wright.