Philippe Clement must promote Rangers title-winning Leyton Grant as Sky Sports footage emerges
Philippe Clement might be tempted to promote Rangers Under-18s gem Leyton Grant to the senior side as they prepare to face Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday (5 May).
The Belgian was in attendance as the young Gers pipped Aberdeen to the Scottish Youth Cup on Wednesday (1 May), with the 18-year-old centre-back leading his side to glory as captain.
Senior debuts for the youngsters at the club have been hard to come by under Clement since arriving at Ibrox. However, he may not be able to ignore the defender, especially after a first-team star was missing from training on Friday 3 May
Sky Sports Scotland shared videos of training at Auchenhowie via X on Friday (3 May), and Connor Goldson was nowhere to be seen as Rangers prepared to welcome Kilmarnock, with Clement later announcing he will be out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.
The 31-year-old had been an unused substitute for the last fixtures against Hearts and St Mirren amid links with a move away from Ibrox during the summer transfer window.
John Souttar and Leon Balogun have been trusted to fill the void, though with the latter being 35 years of age, Clement might consider bringing through fresh blood to stock his squad.
Philippe Clement could hand Leyton Grant with Rangers debut
Having been at the club as a 12-year-old, and signing his first professional contract in 2022, Grant will be desperate to break into the first-team set-up as soon as possible.
You get the sense that he will be on the mind of Clement after lifting the Scottish Youth Cup title with the U18s on Wednesday 1 May.
The first-team manager even went into the dressing room after full-time to congratulate the squad after defeating Aberdeen 2-1, and he will have been incredibly impressed with the captain.
Despite going 1-0 down, heads did not drop, which was vital as Findlay Curtis scored from the penalty spot before Josh Gentles notched the winner with a volley.
Leadership and mindset were both very important in this situation, and they certainly have Grant to thank for that.
Now might be the time to start think about getting him involved with the seniors, especially after such a brilliant week.
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