Mikey Moore to Rangers met with word of caution as two transfer uncertainties linger

Kris Boyd believes the arrival of Tottenham's Mikey Moore could boost Rangers' attacking options, but warns punters to consider potential adjustments in team dynamics, particularly if Cyriel Dessers remains unsettled, when betting on Rangers' performance this season.

Kris Boyd insists Rangers will need to show patience with incoming Tottenham superkid Mikey Moore. The teenage winger, 17, is poised to sign a season-long loan deal with the Ibrox club in the coming days. Moore is one of the hottest prospects in British football and made history by becoming Spurs' youngest-ever Premier League debutant.

The rising star - who can play across the front line as a winger or a number 10 - will add strength and depth to Russell Martin's squad. But with the futures of Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane up in the air, Boyd reckons finding a new striker should be the biggest priority.

Speaking at the SPFL Season Kick-off Party, he said: “Moore’s a young boy who'll be looking for an opportunity to kick on but there's a little bit of a risk attached to a first loan move. “He's shown in any opportunities he's had at Tottenham that he has a chance.

“But it can be difficult because a lot of Premier League players in England who go out on loan go to a level where they've got time to adapt, whether it's the Championship or other teams who don't have to play under the same pressure as Rangers and Celtic have. “It could be a good addition but even if they bring him in, the Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane situation needs to be addressed one way or another.

“Everybody needs clarity on that pretty quickly. The league starts on Saturday and your two most important players on the pitch are your goalkeeper and your number nine. “Rangers are no further forward as to who their number nine is - the top goalscorer from last season is still being linked with moves away, he's not played a lot of football, and he's still got a level of fitness to get to.

“For me, there's still no guarantee who's going to be that number nine for Rangers. “If Mikey Moore is to come in, it's a big ask for him to come in and be Rangers' number nine and lead the attack. “But Russell Martin will say he does need reinforcements in the forward area."

Rangers have one foot in the Champions League third qualifying round as they head to Greece with a precious 2-0 first leg lead. But Boyd expects Panathinaikos to come flying out of the traps tomorrow night in the scorching heat of Athens.

He said: “If you go on last week's performance against Panathinaikos, there's still a bit of work to be done for Rangers. “With Russell Martin coming in and implementing a new style, it’s not going to be fixed overnight and there’s no doubt there were going to be some teething problems and that's going to be the case for a number of weeks.

“When you're coming in and you want to implement the style of play that he wants, you're going to make mistakes. “There's going to be scary moments within the games. “If you go back to last week, Rangers would’ve bitten your hard off for a 2-0 victory before the game. “The way that the game played out, there was an opportunity to go and get a third and fourth, and the tie could have potentially been over.

“There's still a lot of hard work to be done before Rangers get through - you've got to take the heat factor into account, and going to Greece is never going to be easy. “We saw enough last week that there’s enough in that Panathinaikos team to cause Rangers problems if they give up the opportunities they did at the start of the first-half last week. “But that’s the way he wants to play and you always run the risk when you’re doing that."

Fans can tune into The Warm-up on YouTube - youtube.com/@WilliamHillSPFL – and listen wherever they get their podcasts. Follow us on social media for loads of great content all season long, @WilliamHillSPFL.

Gers are in talks over a season-long loan deal for the Tottenham kid and Kris Boyd has some advice on how to handle him

Daily Record