Former Rangers defender and current Livingston captain Craig Halkett is going to be in demand in the summer as his contract is set to expire with his current outfit. Reports from the Scottish Sun came out last month that Hearts are looking to sign him on a pre-contract deal and we believe Rangers should get back their former player to Ibrox.
Last year he was even being linked with a move to Championship clubs like Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers. There is no doubt that quite a few clubs would be interested in him, but Rangers are always likely to have an edge given that the 23-year-old came up from the Gers’ academy and is a boyhood Rangers fan.
Gerrard had even praised the defender when Livingston got the better of Rangers by one goal to nil in September last year. The defender left the club when Mark Warburton was the manager, and at that time, it felt like an inconsequential departure for the Bears. However, over the years, Halkett has transformed himself into a top-class defender, and therefore he is going to be a wanted man in the summer.
When he left the club in the January of 2016, the player claimed that it was a tough pill to swallow for him. He had said, ”It wasn’t nice to leave Rangers. You wonder if your future is going to be outside football.”
After his match-winning performance, last season Halkett also indicated that his family are also Rangers fans as he had said, ”Being a Rangers fan myself, you want to get results against them.
“I got an earful after the game from my mum and dad — although they were in the Livi end and they will support me first before the team we grew up with. I think they were delighted we managed to get the win.”
There is no doubt that if Rangers make a proper offer, the defender could be persuaded to join Ibrox once again. Steven Gerrard is likely going to be on the lookout for defenders in the summer as Gareth McAuley and Joe Worrall’s contract are expiring after the end of this season. Halkett is going to be available for free, and his performances with Livingston has been impressive.
Moreover, he is a leader at the back and knows a thing or two on how to keep the whole defence organised. That is the reason why he is captaining the side at the tender age of 23, and Gerrard should rectify the mistake made by Warburton in the summer by bringing this talented Scotsman back to Glasgow.
