Barry Ferguson is the man tasked with leading Rangers for the remainder of the 2024/25 season following the decision to sack Philippe Clement.
The ex-Ibrox captain is in interim charge until the summer and has been joined by former players Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor as coaches, whereas Issame Charai – who was appointed as Clement’s assistant just last month – has remained at the club.
After making the decision to bring Ferguson back to Ibrox, Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart said: “I also want to welcome Barry back to the club. We appreciate him and his team stepping into the role at this difficult time. Myself, the board and the executive team will give them our full support for the rest of the campaign.”
Rangers are currently way adrift of rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, but Ferguson will have the chance to take on Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce in the last 16 of the Europa League.
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Ferguson, who knows what it takes to come through the Gers’ academy, may look towards the future and the club’s youth ranks, especially in the final weeks of the season should Celtic seal another Premiership crown with games to spare.
With Clement arguably only taking advantage of the Light Blues’ youthful talents when absolutely necessary, Ferguson’s arrival could represent an opportunity to fully integrate these youngsters into the first team.
With that in mind, we’ve looked at five Rangers prospects aged 21 or younger who Ferguson could now unleash at Ibrox between now and the end of the season.
1 Ross McCausland 21 years old
Ross McCausland has played less than 700 minutes of football all season at Ibrox, turning out on the left and right under Clement.
The Northern Irishman, who came through Rangers’ academy, started his last Scottish Premiership match back in October and has hardly been seen in 2025.
He does have four goal contributions to his name, so Ferguson may see McCausland as someone he can improve between now and the end of the campaign, giving him more minutes in the process.
2 Paul Nsio 18 years old
Central midfielder Paul Nsio could be another Ferguson looks to use more, with the interim boss himself a former midfielder. Nsio made his Scottish Premiership debut earlier in the year, coming on as a late substitute in a win at Dundee United.
The teenager was also given the nod from the bench by Clement in the Europa League win over Union SG at the end of January.
During pre-season last year, Nsio was reportedly impressing Rangers’ coaching staff with his work ethic, guile and creativity in the middle of the park, so perhaps he will feature more under Ferguson.
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ByRoss KilvingtonOct 9, 2025 3 Findlay Curtis 18 years old
More of an attacking midfielder than Nsio is Findlay Curtis, who can also play out wide if needed. The Scot has made five matchday squads in the Europa League, even playing 30 minutes at Old Trafford against Man Utd in January.
2025 has been a positive year so far for Curtis, who had also been making Clement’s squads in the Scottish Premiership in the weeks prior to the Belgian’s dismissal.
Curtis has also signed a contract extension and was praised by Technical Director, Nils Koppen, who said: “Findlay is a player who has progressed through our youth system since the age of six and his development towards the first team is testament to his own commitment and the hard work of all the coaches who have played a part in his journey.”
4 Bailey Rice 18 years old
Bailey Rice was just 16 years of age when Michael Beale labelled him “a heck of a player”, but since then, the defensive midfielder has found senior game time hard to come by.
The Scotland U19 international has been threatening to make a first-team breakthrough this season, making five of his eight first-team appearances in 2024/25.
Ferguson, previously a no-nonsense midfielder, may look to take Rice under his wing over the coming months and give him more regular opportunities as Rangers look to potentially plan for the future.
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ByRoss KilvingtonFeb 21, 2025 5 Zander Hutton 18 years old
Full-back Zander Hutton is still awaiting his Rangers first-team debut, and he may be hoping it is just around the corner after being named as a substitute for the final two rounds of the Europa League’s league phase against Man Utd and Union SG.
A regular in Rangers’ B team, Hutton, who can play as a right or left-back, helped the club beat Celtic 3-2 in the Glasgow Cup Final at the end of 2024.
Ferguson has a number of full-back options including Ridvan Yilmaz, Jefte, Dujon Sterling and captain James Tavernier, but who knows, he could be tempted to throw Hutton in before May.