Glasgow Rangers have managed to bring through a few youth prospects in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s short reign who could become mainstays in the Ibrox first team for years to come.
The likes of Alex Lowry, Leon King, and Charlie McCann all impressed in stages last season, with King signing a new contract in January and immediately progressing to the first team squad.
It isn’t just these three however, there is a whole plethora of academy riches to be found as you feed down the Rangers youth teams, with Zak Lovelace, Robbie Ure, and Tony Weston amongst just a few names.
One that has gone under the radar however is left-back Johnly Yfeko, who signed for the Light Blues in January and went straight into the B team. with Borna Barisic turning 30 in a few months, and new signing Ridvan Yilmaz not yet up to speed, the 19-year-old could well be the long-term heir for the Croatian.
He’s Calvin Bassey 2.0
Yfeko could follow in the footsteps of Calvin Bassey, who also joined the club from Leicester City, and he can also play either in the centre of defence or naturally on the left-hand side.
Bassey arrived for around £230k and departed for Ajax in a club-record £23m fee, proving that having the talent plus an extended run in a team that reaches a major European final can propel you into stardom.
Yfeko has all the attributes that made Bassey a success in abundance, versatility, composed on the ball when in possession, and natural strength that would make most older players jealous.
Will Rangers defeat Napoli on Tuesday?
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Following his arrival in January, the youngster penned an extension to his contract until 2024, but if he keeps impressing for the B team, Van Bronckhorst will surely be eying a further extension to avoid bigger clubs trying to prise him away on the cheap.
Its still early days for the 18-year-old at Ibrox, and with a few players ahead of him in the pecking order, all he can do is continue to improve and wait for his chance, just like Bassey did last season