RANGERS have been linked with a move for Motherwell’s Jake Hastie in recent weeks and reports on Friday suggested that the Ibrox club were close to agreeing a four-year deal with the young winger. The transfer is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing but reports suggest Hasite is weighing up his options at present.
Hastie has certainly caught the eye since he returned to Motherwell after spending the first half of the season on loan at Championship strugglers Alloa, and looks to be an exciting prospect for Scotland. Scot Gemmill included the 19-year-old in his Under-21s squad when it was announced earlier in the week and the winger has continued to put in a series of impressive displays for Stephen Robinson’s side.
Hastie’s rise to prominence has come as something of a surprise for many followers of the Scottish game, given the fact that the young winger has only made seven first-team appearances for Motherwell this season. He is undoubtedly a player in good form, but is he good enough to make an impact at Rangers?
A look at the Premiership’s top dribblers certainly suggests so. Hastie attempts 8.96 dribbles per 90 minutes - the fifth-highest total of any player in the league, and more than the likes of Ryan Kent or James Forrest. Admittedly, Hastie’s dribbling success rate pales in comparison to the aforementioned wingers, but the sheer number of runs he attempts demonstrates the kind of player that he is.
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Hastie’s role in the Motherwell team is that of a traditional pacy winger; find space and wait for the ball to come to you, then beat your man and drive towards goal. Sometimes Hastie will drive down the wing and look for a team-mate in the box, and on other occasions he’ll cut inside and have a crack at goal himself. So far, at least, the 19-year-old has shown he is capable of doing both.
This ability to drive at an opposition defender is probably what has piqued Rangers’ interest in Hastie. Ryan Kent is the only similar player in Steven Gerrard’s squad who can perform a similar role, and he is likely to return to Liverpool in the summer. Gerrard clearly values this type of player and wants more of them in his squad. Jordan Jones will join in the summer for precisely this reason, and now it appears Hastie will also make the move to Glasgow.
At present, Rangers only really have one out-and-out right winger: Daniel Candeias. The Portuguese is a useful player, but is more of a wide midfielder than a traditional winger. Candeias is not blessed with great pace and he rarely tries to beat a man directly. The 31-year-old is more of a technical player, and prefers to pick out a team-mate rather than drive at his opposite number.
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Hastie attempts around three times as many dribbles as Candeias does over the course of a match, but the Portuguese attempts far more passes and crosses than Hastie does. This difference in approach is likely why Rangers are so interested in Hastie. Some games will require a direct approach from Rangers which will suit Hastie’s game; others will encourage a patient approach, which Candeias is better suited to. With the addition of Hastie, Gerrard would have options that at present he simply does not have.
Whether Hastie is capable of making the jump up to a team of Rangers’ level remains to be seen, but the player’s recent history suggests that he would benefit from playing alongside better players. During the first half of the season, Hastie was on loan at Alloa and the winger’s numbers have improved virtually across the board since he rejoined his parent club.
Despite playing in a higher standard of competition since returning to Fir Park, Hastie’s stats have improved nonetheless. He’s attempting more dribbles, more shots and is setting up more chances for his team-mates than he was in the Championship, and doing all of these things more successfully. It seems that Hastie plays better when he features alongside better players; this is obviously encouraging for Rangers fans, should he join the club, but is no guarantee of success in and of itself.
It still remains to be seen whether or not Hastie will join Rangers but if he were to sign a pre-contract agreement at Ibrox, the numbers seem to suggest that he would be able to make an impact for Rangers. There is no-one else at the club with the same skill-set as Hastie, and the data suggests that Hastie would be able to handle the step up to a better side. The transfer is yet to be confirmed, but it’s certainly one worth pursuing for Rangers.
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