Bailey Rice ‘frustration’ shared at Rangers after what he’s seen elsewhere
Barry Ferguson reckons that Bailey Rice will be frustrated at Rangers this season.
The 18-year-old signed for Rangers back in 2022 and since then, has made four league appearances to date.
Philippe Clement has used the youngster sparingly this term as he looks to bed him into first-team football and the midfielder has made one league appearance while getting two opportunities to run out in the Europa League.
Barry Ferguson backs Bailey Rice for Rangers impact
It has been a tough season for the Gers so far and with that in mind, Clement hasn’t necessarily had the freedom to use different players as much as he may have liked with an improvement on results and saving his own job the priority.
However, with no loan spell either, the 18-year-old has been left on the sidelines and has got a lack of minutes under his belt yet again this term.
Nevertheless, Clement did sanction loan exits for both Kieran Dowell and Rabbi Matondo during the winter transfer window, suggesting there is a reason he wants Rice to stay put.
Speaking to the Daily Record (7 February), former Gers man Ferguson offered his view on Rice’s situation, stating he is excited by his future but acknowledging he may be frustrated – especially having seen fellow youngster Lennon Miller flourish at Motherwell.
He said: “As a midfield man myself, I obviously look at Rice and can’t but get excited about this kid’s potential. Believe me, I’ve seen more than enough to be convinced that he has everything required to make the kind of impact I managed to do back in the day.
“He’ll probably have been as frustrated as I was, having been dipped in and out of the first team over the last year or so. He’ll have been looking at Lennon Miller’s meteoric rise at Motherwell and wondering why he wasn’t getting the same opportunity for game time at Ibrox.
“But this feels like the moment he’s been waiting for. With the likes of Kieran Dowell and Rabbi Matondo moving on during the transfer window, Rice and Curtis can now see the light at the end of that tunnel. If I was them I’d be thinking to myself, ‘What a chance I’ve got. This is the time to make my mark’.”
Bailey Rice has chance to impress at Rangers
As Ferguson says, you can imagine there may be some frustration from the youngster at Ibrox this term as he will be desperate to get regular minutes under his belt and push himself on going forward.
However, this is the kind of frustration that will serve as motivation as he knows impressing Clement will only up his chances of increasing his game time both in cup competitions and in the league.
With fellow young players being given the opportunity to go on loan for the remainder of the season, the midfielder will have been reminded that the boss must see something in him in order to keep him at Ibrox rather than send him out too.
Furthermore, this gives Rice the opportunity to be around professional first-team football, which will only help to build his mindset and develop him further going forward.
There certainly seems to be plenty of promise in the young player and when called upon, it is up to him to show what he can do and make his way into first-team plans on a regular basis.