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Rangers Targeting Aston Villa Youth Striker

By Josh Tonti

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 23: Rangers manager Mark Warburton looks on during the Betfred Cup Semi Final match between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park on October 23, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 23: Rangers manager Mark Warburton looks on during the Betfred Cup Semi Final match between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park on October 23, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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Glasgow side Rangers are understood to be targeting eighteen year old Aston Villa striker Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.

Sportsmail is reporting Rangers will attempt to swoop in for Rushian Hepburn-Murphy should contract talks stall between now and the contract’s expiry this upcoming summer.

Hepburn-Murphy has been lighting it up for the reserve side this season. Yet, at least somewhat surprisingly, he has not featured much in the first team. The acquisitions of Ross McCormack, Albert Adomah, and Jonathan Kodjia have made it tougher for the youngster to find playing time in the attack.

The fact that contract talks are at an impasse suggests their remains a difference of opinion on how much the young striker should be playing. Hepburn-Murphy’s camp likely is demanding a contract that pays as a full time first teamer, whereas Aston Villa see him as a developmental player.

Rangers’ manager Mark Warburton has been stockpiling young talent from England. The club brought in Leicester City striker Joe Dodoo, 21, and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Rossiter, 20, in the summer.

Both were highly sought after and both demanded fairly heavy wages given their age. Bringing in Hepburn-Murphy–an England U18 international–would be a major coup for the club.

Regular readers would know I rate Hepburn-Murphy very highly. I think he should be involved in the squad nearly every match. His positional sense and technical qualities are far beyond any regular eighteen year old professional footballer.

Unfortunately for Hepburn-Murphy, a plethora of attackers give Steve Bruce a lineup headache weekly. Jonathan Kodjia, Jordan Ayew, Ross McCormack, and Rudy Gestede all occupy places in front of him; not to mention players like Jack Grealish and Albert Adomah clog the outside spots.

The youngster has known one club his entire life when he entered the Villa Academy at the age of nine. Obviously, losing a player of this quality would be a major loss to owner Dr. Tony Xia & company.

To be fair, this is one report and it’s probably not indicative of him actually leaving soon. However, contract talks need settled before January, when he’s free to sign a pre-contract with any club of his choosing.

Enjoy some Rushian highlights as he torches U21 defenses.

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