Rangers must pull out all the stops to keep hold of rising star Alexander Smith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The highly rated youngster is currently gaining valuable experience on loan at in Scottish League Two, where he has already registered four assists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smith, a Scottish-American midfielder, signed a three-year professional deal in June 2024 that runs until the summer of 2027. However, must already be thinking beyond that, ensuring he remains at Ibrox long-term and is given a genuine pathway into the first team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under , there appears to be a renewed commitment to youth development, backed by the 49ers Enterprises group and . After years of underutilising academy talent, the club now seems ready to take a more serious approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smith has quickly made an impression during his first loan spell away from Glasgow. , manager of Dumbarton, has been full of praise for the teenager\u2019s ability and attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He highlighted Smith\u2019s technical quality, intelligence, and willingness to learn, noting how quickly he absorbs instructions and applies them on the pitch. McKeown also emphasized his resilience and mentality, describing his potential as \u201climitless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At just 17, Smith is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in Rangers\u2019 Auchenhowie academy. He has already been named on the bench for a Europa League clash against , underlining how highly he is rated within the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Internationally, he has represented Scotland at Under-16 and Under-17 levels, while also featuring for the United States\u2019 Under-17 side\u2014showcasing his dual-national appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An attack-minded midfielder, Smith prides himself on creativity, taking on defenders, and improving his goal contributions\u2014qualities that align perfectly with what Rangers want at senior level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With his loan spell boosting his reputation and his contract ticking down, Rangers cannot afford to delay. Securing Smith on a new, long-term deal should be a priority to prevent interest from rival clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If nurtured correctly, Smith has all the tools to become a future first-team star at Ibrox. Letting a talent of his calibre slip away could prove costly for the club in years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rangers\u2019 Alexander Smith Future Becomes Top Priority After Loan Boss Hails \u201cLimitless\u201d Teen Talent\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[925,918],"class_list":{"0":"post-5255","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"tag-alexander-smith","8":"tag-rangers-fc"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5255"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5257,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5255\/revisions\/5257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legitsportnews.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}