Barry Ferguson is liking what he's seen from Bailey Rice and Findlay Curtis since their emergence into the Rangers first-team this season - and he knows the midfield duo will be desperate to cement their place in Philippe Clement's long-term plans.
Rice, 18, made his debut in 2023 but has had to be patient for further opportunities. But he recently played 45 minutes at Old Trafford as Rangers took on Manchester United in the Europa League. And he's been in and around Clement's senior squad since.
Curtis, also 18, featured against the English Premier League giants which came just days after his Gers debut in the Scottish Cup, drawing praise for his involvement.
The pair have been tipped to go on to big things, and in his Daily Record column, former Rangers captain Ferguson reflected on his own impatience as a young player at Ibrox, admitting he was never the type to sit back and wait for opportunities.
Despite getting a taste of first-team action under Walter Smith, he wasn’t content with sporadic appearances. He wanted to make the Rangers shirt his own.
He shared how watching legends like Ally McCoist and Richard Gough during training inspired him, while advice from his youth coaches taught him the importance of preparation and persistence. He worked tirelessly to improve, determined to seize his moment when it came.
When Dick Advocaat arrived in 1998, he saw it as his chance to cement his place in a star-studded squad. With players like Jorg Albertz and Giovanni van Bronckhorst around him, he vowed not to give up his spot without a fight, ultimately crediting that mindset for shaping his successful career.
And that’s exactly what he wants Curtis, Rice, and any other budding Rangers youngster to emulate.
Read more:
- Rangers vs Queen's Park: TV channel, live stream & kick-off
- Rangers loan kid sent off after ‘Royal Rumble starts early’
“I see that exact same door now opening for the likes of Bailey Rice and Findlay Curtis - two young academy graduates who are now ready to take that same pathway I did,” said Ferguson.
“The same goes for Clinton Nsiala and Hamza Igamane, even though they have been brought into the club more recently.
“All of these young men now have the chance to make that shirt their own and the next four or five months can be the making of them as Rangers players.
“We’ve all seen already that Igamane has a huge future ahead of him. Nsiala is another new arrival who has stepped up and showed that he is ready for the challenge. And young Curtis looks like a very talented attacking prospect.
“But, as a midfield man myself, I obviously look at Rice and can’t but get excited about this kid’s potential. Believe me, I’ve seen more than enough to be convinced that he has everything required to make the kind of impact I managed to do back in the day.
“He’ll probably have been as frustrated as I was, having been dipped in and out of the first team over the last year or so. He’ll have been looking at Lennon Miller’s meteoric rise at Motherwell and wondering why he wasn’t getting the same opportunity for game time at Ibrox.
“But this feels like the moment he’s been waiting for. With the likes of Kieran Dowell and Rabbi Matondo moving on during the transfer window, Rice and Curtis can now see the light at the end of that tunnel. If I was them I’d be thinking to myself, ‘What a chance I’ve got. This is the time to make my mark’.
“If I was Rice I would welcome the summer signing of Lyall Cameron from Dundee and I’d want to make sure, between now and the end of the season, the manager knows I’ll be ready to fight him for a place in the starting line up.
“Obviously, things are changing. Big earners are moving on, the squad is being restructured and coming down in age. It’s not all rosy in the garden by any stretch of the imagination. But it’s created a real opportunity for some of these young guys to go out and really make a name for themselves as Rangers players.
“I might not be getting any younger but I remember how it felt when that moment came around for me, as if it was yesterday. So get out there and give it everything you’ve got boys. I promise, you will never live to regret it.”
