BBC Sport pundit moots EFL move for ‘inconsistent’ Rangers gem Alex Lowry after Hearts spell
Stephen McGinn has predicted that Rangers youngster Alex Lowry will head out on loan to the English lower leagues after his loan spell with Hearts was cut short.
The 20-year-old midfielder’s time at Tynecastle was brought to an end on Friday (19 January) with the suggestion being that the Light Blues were hoping to find a new suitor to take him on board for the second half of the campaign.
While most have expected Lowry to remain north of the border, BBC Sport pundit McGinn believes a move to England could be best for the Gers youngster to help him prepare to be a regular at Ibrox in the future.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show (19 January, 48:50) he said: “I think he might head to the lower leagues in England. I just think for his Rangers career, for him to have a long-term future and in the next few years to go and play for Rangers.
“There were some good bits to his loan, some good performances, maybe some not-so-good performances. But if you’re inconsistent at Hearts, no disrespect to Hearts, going up the levels to be consistent for Rangers, he’s still a bit short for that.
“I think he might be heading to England, we’ve seen some success from some of the other young Celtic and Rangers players that have headed down and got moves, guys like Luca Connell at Barnsley.
“That’s where I expect him to end up.”
Could be for the best
Lowry never managed to really settle during his spell at Hearts and when he did feature for Steven Naismith’s side, his performances were often inconsistent as he failed to command a regular place in the starting XI.
It seems unlikely then, as McGinn suggested, that the 20-year-old will immediately become a part of Philippe Clement’s side when he returns to Glasgow, instead, he’ll likely head straight back out the exit door.
A move south of the border to the lower English leagues may well help Lowry’s development and ensure that he kicks on to the next level, as the standard at a League One or Two club will likely be better than if he has a spell in the Scottish Championship.
It will be interesting to see whether the Gers agree with McGinn’s assessment or look to keep the midfielder close to home this month.
In other Rangers news, Andy Walker has been left enraged by a “bizarre” new development at the SFA after Old Firm controversy
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