When Pedro Caixinha started to target several Portugal based players for Rangers transfers this summer, and went through with the transfers quickly, it was natural for some to believe Ryan Gauld could be next in line.
The former Dundee United player is now 21 years of age, and not on the verge of breaking into Sporting’s first team, but still considered a good young talent. With Sporting looking to loan Gauld out, Rangers and Ibrox seemed a likely destination.
Portuguese newspaper O Jogo have quizzed Caixinha about potentially bringing in Gilmour, and he revealed it has been a possibility, but not one he decided to take up: “It was suggested on loan, but I considered that we should not have more than two loans and in that position we are already covered.
“He was not a necessity, although I recognised a lot of quality and competence in him. He has a cognitive ability above the Scottish average, thinks about the game in a different way. He wanted to leave here from a very young age. The Mexican players did not want to leave because they live well and don’t want to stop eating their “taquito”, something that is now changing. They did not want to leave here either, except inside the UK. Ryan Gauld has a different mindset.”
Caixinha is clearly a fan of Gauld and his approach to football, so it may be one for Rangers to keep in mind for the future. As well as looking at young players elsewhere, Rangers face a struggle to keep the best of their own, and recently saw Billy Gimour leave Ibrox for Chelsea, but Caixinha respects his ability too.
“It was Billy Gilmour (who left Rangers for Chelsea), who is 15 years old. He trained with us and I saw that he had a great ability to perceive the game, different from all the others and ahead of all the others.”
