Alex Lowry speaks out after Rangers loan exit to join Hearts
Rangers midfielder Alex Lowry has admitted that he and Michael Beale felt it was time for him to go and play after making the loan switch to Hearts for the 2023/24 season.
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder made two appearances for the Light Blues in the Scottish Premiership last season and even came off the bench against Ajax in the Champions League but has headed on loan to Edinburgh in search of first-team football.
Lowry has carried over his number 51 shirt from his parent club and made his debut on Saturday (5 August) off the bench against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, having only met his teammates for the first time earlier the same day.
Discussing the loan switch with the Edinburgh News in an interview on Sunday (6 August), Lowry said: “When I spoke to Daisy (Steven Naismith) and Frankie (McAvoy) they were going to give me the platform to perform. Obviously, it’s up to me to perform and keep my jersey here.
“It’s definitely the right step for me to go and play. I’ve known him (Beale) from when he was at Rangers under Steven Gerrard previously. I’ve always had a good relationship with him and we spoke a lot over pre-season and we both thought game time would benefit me in the future. It’s definitely something I was keen on doing.”
Experience is key
Not only is Lowry getting out and getting some minutes under his belt, but he is also doing it at an excellent standard, playing week in and week out in the Scottish Premiership as well as having the opportunity to play Europa Conference League football.
As far as temporary switches go they couldn’t be more beneficial to a young player, especially one whose next goal is to earn consistent minutes at Ibrox and there is no better way to prove that he is worth that than by impressing at Tynecastle this season.
Hearts managed to finish ahead of Edinburgh rivals Hibernian last year and will be hoping to kick on for that best-of-the-rest title behind the two Old Firm clubs and that competition against their bitter rivals of Hibs will help Lowry prepare for Glasgow derbies in the future.
With Naismith being in position as technical director at Tynecastle, there are few better former Rangers and Scottish attacking midfielders to help the development of the 20-year-old this season and McAvoy has plenty of experience working with younger players, so the pair will be very helpful in aiding Lowry.
In other Rangers news, several clubs across Europe are eyeing a young Ibrox star for a loan deal this summer