MARK WARBURTON, the Rangers manager, believes teenage prospect Billy Gilmour could be lost to the game for several years should he elect to leave the Ibrox club to pursue a senior career elsewhere.
Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich have all been credited with an interest in the promising 15 year-old who made his debut for Rangers’ under-20s last weekend.
Warburton acknowledged that all those clubs could offer contracts far in excess of anything Rangers might muster once the player turns 16 but hoped an increased chance of first-team football could keep Gilmour at Ibrox for the long-term.
Read more: Playing the long game: Why going direct has paid off for Rangers and Mark Warburton
“Billy is a talented player and I’m sure many clubs are looking at him,” he said. “Big clubs have vast scouting networks covering that age group. You cannot compete financially. If the boy wants to go then all the club can do is seek the best financial deal. But right now, he is a Rangers player and our job is to show him the pathway there is to get to the first team.
“You look at the competition at Premier League clubs and how hard it is for young players to get into their respective first teams. It is incredibly difficult. What a talent you have got to be to get into a top six Premier League team.
“I don’t know what the average age, probably Spurs aside, of the boys making their debuts at Premier League level - maybe 22 or 23? So it is a huge ask. I like to think we can keep him here, develop him and he can play in the first team. If, in three or four years’ time he then gets a move then good luck to him. All we can be is honest. At the end of the day, parents aren’t stupid. If they say ‘can you match that wage packet?’ Then no, I can’t. But I can offer you this.”
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