18-year-old Stephen Kelly recently signed a new contract with Rangers which will keep him at the club until 2021. The Scottish midfielder is considered to be one of the brightest talents to come out of the academy in recent times, and it was imperative for the club to keep hold of him. Steven Gerrard was so impressed with the youngster that he even took Kelly with the senior squad during the preseason in Spain.
The midfielder is still waiting for his first appearance in the Rangers colours but was recently included in the matchday squad in the Europa League qualifier against FC Maribor. He didn’t come on to play but being around the first team would have given him a lot of exposure.
The central midfielder shot into the limelight last season when he represented Rangers’ u-20 side against some heavyweights in world football. The youngster scored against the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Manchester City and quite clearly looked one of the best players on the pitch.
Former Teddy Bears attacking midfielder Josh Windass recently had some kind words to say about Kelly. He said,”Technically the best young player by a mile at Ibrox.”
So one can say that this is definitely a step in the right direction from the Gers hierarchy and maybe further down the season, Kelly would get his chance to play for the senior team.
His time in the first team will come if the youngster keeps on improving. The Scotsman has represented his national side at various youth levels and is seen as a future Scotland international. The midfielder is known for his ball playing abilities in midfield, and that is what sets him apart from other youth players.
On the ball, he handles himself maturely and doesn’t seem to get hurried by the opposition’s pressing. He always knows where his team-mates are and the way he carries himself, it looks like the 18-year-old is an experienced pro.
The central midfielder has also added a bit of goal threat to his game as well as he tries to make late runs in the box which is often quite difficult for opposition defenders to mark. The Gers side currently have a decent number of options for the central midfield position so he might have to wait for his time to get regular run in the playing eleven.
In the meantime, the midfielder should work on the physical side. Given the physical nature of the league, he runs the risk of getting overpowered and being shrugged off by the ball by defenders. Nevertheless, one can see him in action sometime in the future and hopefully by that time Kelly would be closer to his full potential.
