Bryan Reynolds: The 'frightened amateur' who fled Jose Mourinho to rebuild career as Rangers circle
Bryan Reynolds was one of the USA's brightest young talents when the Rangers linked defender signed for Roma in 2021.
He began his career in the academy of Major League Soccer (MLS) side FC Dallas, turning heads as he progressed.
In November 2016, Reynolds became FC Dallas' youngest ever homegrown player when signing a contract with the first-team aged just 15.
The American began his youth career as a forward, but was soon converted to a full-back in FC Dallas' senior side.
After playing 29 times for them in MLS, Reynolds joined Roma on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy in February 2021.
Having been linked to top European clubs prior to making that move, there were big expectations on his young shoulders to shine in the Italian capital.
How did Bryan Reynolds fare with Roma?
Unfortunately though, Reynolds' time with the Serie A giants would be fairly disastrous.
Roma were under the management of Paulo Fonseca at the time of his transfer, but he would be replaced by Jose Mourinho ahead of the 2021-22 season.
That proved to be a watershed moment for the American, as 'The Special One' never took to him, but he did hand him a start against Bodo Glimt in the UEFA Conference League in October 2021.
Roma lost 6-1 that night with Reynolds playing the full 90 minutes, and as detailed in a report from The Dallas Morning News quoting Corriere dello Sport at the time, the defender faced significant criticism.
"He has a frightened look of an amateur who's called at the last second to make up a number in a game of friends," Corriere dello Sport wrote of Reynolds' performance in that defeat.
Indeed, that would be his eighth and final ever appearance for Roma, with Mourinho describing Reynolds as a "kid" after coming on in a Serie A match.
Reynolds needed to get out of there, and so with his big European chance on the verge of failure, he was loaned out to a team playing in small city some 55 miles outside of Brussels.
How Reynolds rebuilt his career in Belgium
January 2022 saw him join Belgian top flight side Kortrijk until the summer, where as that aforementioned article states, he lived alone a mere 150 metres from their stadium.
However, that's perhaps exactly what he needed after the noise and scrutiny levels that come with playing for a club like Roma.
Reynolds started eight of his nine Belgian Pro League appearances for Kortrijk in the second half of that season, playing well and evidently capturing the attention of rival side Westerlo.
They struck a season-long loan agreement for the right-back for the 2022-23 season, and then made him a permanent acquisition the following summer.
Since joining Westerlo permanently, he's made 112 appearances with eight assists and four goals to his name, whilst starting all 39 of his Belgian Pro League outings in 2025-26.
Of course, being at Westerlo for the last few years meant he also struck up a strong partnership down the flanks with current Rangers left-back Tuur Rommens.
So, perhaps those two could once again be teammates again at Ibrox, as Rangers reportedly have Reynolds in their transfer sights this summer.
To be a success at a club like Gers you need to have character, and for Reynolds to go and turn his career back around in Belgium after his big disappointment in Serie A shows he's got plenty of it.
No longer does he look frightened nor amateurish; Reynolds is a mature and improved full-back who appears ready to handle the pressure of playing for a big club.