A DAY after selling Academy graduate Nathan Patterson for a club-record fee, the deal to extend Leon King’s contract at Rangers may turn out to be just as important.

The highly-rated 17-year-old put pen to paper yesterday that sees him commit his future to the Scottish champions until the summer of 2024.

The teenager had been attracting admiring glances from down south with the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa reportedly keeping tabs on the centre back.

However, any fears that he could be snatched away for a cut-price fee given his contract was due to expire in the summer have been eased.

The current Villa boss, former Light Blues gaffer Steven Gerrard, gave King his first team debut when he was part of the team that beat Falkirk in the League Cup in November 2020 when he was just 16. He then came on as a late substitute for Joe Aribo as Rangers beat Livingston 3-0 in the penultimate game of the Premiership campaign.

He has featured heavily since on the subs bench this campaign but this new deal indicates it may not be long before he makes the breakthrough.

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Sporting Director Ross Wilson said as much when commenting on his new contract yesterday.

He said: “Leon is a great kid and one that I’m delighted will continue on his journey at Rangers.

“Over the last couple of seasons, Leon has already played in the Rangers first-team and had significant training exposure with our first-team group. He’s handled everything that we’ve challenged him with so far, and the support that he’s received across the club to aid his development has been excellent.

“It’s important that every one of our young players at this stage has a clear plan and for Leon, he will now move into the first-team group under Giovanni van Bronckhorst on a permanent basis between now and the end of the season.”

Very much like Patterson, Rangers have a special talent on their hands and credit must go to the Academy staff for developing said players.

Head of Academy Craig Mulholland is one such person who has played a huge role in King's career to date.

After watching him commit his future to the Light Blues, he offered an insight into his progression in recent years.

He told the club's website: “Leon is at an exciting stage in his development journey and we are delighted that it will continue at Rangers.

“His plan over a number of years has been very carefully managed and we have achieved several key objectives – maximising contact time via our Boclair Academy programme, appropriate player challenge playing and training several years ahead of his own age group, regular exposure to ‘best v best’ cross-border competition, early exposure at age 16 to playing against men’s first teams via our B Team project and a significant opportunity to train and learn from the first-team squad.

“Leon has met all of these challenges head-on and deserves this new contract. These carefully designed experiences, combined with his own dedication and attitude to maximising his potential, should make the next few years an exciting time for Leon.”

Mulholland and others deserve praise for their part in rearing King to the stage where he is now trusted to become part of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first team set up.

Given Nathan Patterson only made 26 appearances for the senior side before being sold for a record fee highlights just how important Auchenhowie is in terms of generating revenue to keep the club moving forward and progressing.

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Interestingly, the previous record fee of £9 million was obtained for Alan Hutton who was another graduate of the youth academy. This tells you all you need to know about the importance of developing young players and making sure they are tied down on contracts that prevent preying clubs pinching them for peanuts.

Billy Gilmour is the obvious example when Chelsea were able to acquire his services for next to nothing. Of course, there is always a likelihood of this happening but as long as players such as Patterson and King are happy and feel there is a clear pathway to the first team then receiving big-money offers for Academy graduates may soon become the norm.

Now, as much as tying down King is beneficial for Rangers in a financial sense, the challenge has been set for him to stake a claim in the starting XI. It won’t be easy but there is a real belief that this boy has all the attributes to reach the very top.

Speaking in November ahead of the Rangers B team clash with Cove Rangers in the SPFL Trust Trophy, King spoke of his determination to force his way into van Bronckhorst's reckoning.

He said: “That’s what I’m aiming for. With the new boss coming in I’ve seen at his previous clubs he’s given youngsters a chance so that’s what I’m striving towards. Getting there and training with the first team when he came in was good and I’m aiming to get there more regularly.”

There's nothing Rangers supporters enjoy more than watching one of their own making a name for themselves in the first team.

Over to you Leon.