It’s a fascinating look at Rangers’ youth development and a reminder of how difficult it is for academy players to make the step up to the first team. Winning the Alkass International Cup in 2019 was a huge achievement, especially considering the caliber of teams involved, yet five years later, almost none of that squad have made a significant impact at Rangers. It highlights a major issue that has plagued the club for years—an inability to transition promising young players into first-team regulars.

Ross McCausland is the only player from that group who has managed to establish himself under Philippe Clement, but even his place at the club isn’t entirely secure. While he has earned the manager’s trust due to his work rate and discipline, his overall contributions in terms of goals and assists haven’t been enough to make him indispensable. If he doesn’t improve his end product, he could very well find himself replaced, just as Rangers have done with so many other prospects in the past.

Leon King is another example of a player who looked destined for big things but has found himself stagnating. He made his debut at 16 and has been in countless matchday squads, yet he hasn’t had a proper run of games to aid his development. Part of the problem has been Rangers’ approach to youth players—they often hold onto them for UEFA homegrown quotas rather than loaning them out to gain experience. Had King gone out on loan earlier in his career, he might have been far closer to becoming a reliable first-team option by now. At 21, time is still on his side, but next season is crucial if he wants to fulfill the potential he showed as a teenager.

Kai Kennedy’s story is a cautionary tale of wasted potential. Once seen as one of Rangers’ most exciting young talents, he was even the subject of a £1m bid from West Ham United. However, by his own admission, his mentality and approach to the game weren’t good enough. He is now attempting to rebuild his career at Queen of the South, hoping for another chance at a higher level. It’s a reminder that talent alone isn’t enough—application, professionalism, and the right attitude are just as important.

Adam Devine is another player who seemed to be on the verge of breaking into the first team but has ultimately fallen short. He showed promise as a backup full-back during an injury crisis, but once the first-choice players returned, he found himself out of the picture again. Now on loan at Queen’s Park, he will likely carve out a respectable career in the SPFL, but it won’t be at Rangers.

Cole McKinnon’s situation is similar. He’s currently on loan at Ayr United, but with Connor Barron and Bailey Rice ahead of him in the midfield pecking order and Lyall Cameron arriving in the summer, his chances of making it at Rangers seem slim. Like Devine, he will probably have a decent career at another club, but it’s another example of how difficult it is for young players to break through at Ibrox.

Alex Lowry’s story is perhaps the most frustrating of them all. For years, he was regarded as the jewel of Rangers’ academy, a player who had the technical quality and vision to become a first-team star. When he first broke into the senior side under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he looked like he was going to be a regular, but injuries and personal setbacks stalled his progress. Now on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, he is trying to reset his career, and early comparisons to Luka Modric suggest he still has the potential to be a special player. However, much like Kennedy, he needs to prove he has the mentality to match his talent.

Then there’s Nathan Young-Coombes, another highly-rated prospect who scored freely at youth level but never made a senior appearance for Rangers. He moved to Brentford, where he even made a Premier League appearance, but surprisingly, he has been without a club since the summer of 2024 despite being fully fit. His situation is an unusual one, but it again emphasizes how difficult it is to make the jump from academy football to senior football.

Looking at the wider picture, it’s clear that Rangers’ academy has not been producing first-team players at the rate they would like. Winning youth tournaments is one thing, but unless there is a proper pathway to the senior squad, it doesn’t count for much. There have been constant criticisms of Rangers’ youth development structure, and when you compare the 2019 Alkass-winning team to where they are now, those criticisms seem justified.

Celtic has had similar struggles in some ways, but they have arguably done a better job in recent years. Rocco Vata, for example, has been given first-team opportunities, and they have been more willing to loan young players out to get experience. That said, there are still issues—some academy talents end up leaving because they don’t see a clear pathway, while others find it hard to break into a squad that consistently invests in senior players.

Ultimately, both clubs need to improve their approach to youth development. If Scottish football is to continue producing top talent, there needs to be a better structure in place to support young players transitioning to senior football. The 2019 Rangers squad had some exciting prospects, but the fact that so few have made it at Ibrox shows that something is fundamentally broken in their system.