The Zak Lovelace sliding doors moment that could present Rangers first-team opportunity

Indeed, with Alfredo Morelos facing up to a two-game suspension after he was shown a straight red card in Rangers’ 2-2 draw with Hibernian at the weekend, Giovanni van Bronckhorst is likely to look in-house in an attempt to fill the void.

Step forward Zak Lovelace.

The 16-year-old wonderkid netted a first-half hat-trick just hours after the Gers slipped up at Easter Road, as the Rangers B Team ran out 5-2 winners over Dalbeattie Star in the Lowland League. It was a reminder to van Bronckhorst at a fitting time that Lovelace is no ordinary talent.

It was apparent from the response of Millwall upon confirmation of the youngster's arrival in Glasgow this summer that Rangers were securing a highly sought-after talent.

“Millwall Football Club regretfully announces that Zak Lovelace has decided to leave The Lions and join Scottish club Rangers,” a statement from the English Championship side read.

“Lovelace made a further three appearances for Gary Rowett’s side during the second-half of the 2021/22 season, and was set to feature even more prominently during the upcoming campaign.

“The club is disappointed and saddened by this outcome having worked tirelessly over many months to convince Lovelace, his family, and his representatives that Millwall remained the ideal destination for the striker to continue his personal and professional development.

“Despite these frustrations, everyone at Millwall wishes Lovelace the best of luck in his future career and hopes that he goes on to realise his outstanding potential.” 

Lovelace had made his first forays into the senior set-up at the London outfit last season, making his debut as a 15-year-old in a clash with Coventry in December last year. In doing so, the Englishman became the second youngest debutant in the club’s history.

“Of course at the end, the little icing on the cake [was] to bring Zak on,” said Millwall boss Gary Rowett after handing Lovelace his debut. “I could have made it easy, I could have brought a senior player on, but I just felt he deserved it. He was doing his homework on the way up in the car!”

Lovelace went on to feature five times for the Lions last term, restricted to cameo roles off the substitutes bench after he plundered 21 goals in 19 appearances for the youth teams.

Given the strength of the English Championship, common sense always dictated that the Lowland League would be some way below Lovelace’s level. The question, rather, was whether he was ready to make the step into the demanding environment of the Rangers first-team.

Despite being only 16, the Englishman is blessed on a physical level. Even playing against robust teams in the Lowland League, Lovelace’s supreme technical capacity is underpinned by his brute strength in possession of the ball.

Similarly, his acceleration across the ground is a huge asset, helping buy him time to finish with composure as he displayed in the recent 4-3 victory over East Kilbride. With an impressive eye for a goal, Lovelace has a frightening array of qualities for such a tender age.

“He handles the ball well. He’s certainly got an eye for in and around the penalty box and wants to get involved in finishing situations,” said B Team coach David McCallum as he underlined the transition from Millwall to the Rangers youth set-up.

“The way we play might be a little bit different from Millwall. I think he’s probably used to exposing the spaces behind opposition lines quite quickly whereas we might be a little bit more patient in the build-up.”

In many ways, van Bronckhorst is facing a similar situation with Fashion Sakala. The Zambian certainly doesn’t lack for pace or strength on the ball, but the Dutchman prefers his strikers to be a physical focal point for his team to play around.

Sakala alluded to this in a recent interview where he cast doubt over his future at Ibrox, saying: “When I came here Steven Gerrard told me not to be a winger, I was to play as a number nine. When Gio came we had a meeting and he told me I’m not going to play for him as a striker because he likes big strikers.”

Lovelace certainly isn’t the tallest in stature but, at 16, he is likely still primed for a growth spurt. In the short-term, however, van Bronckhorst may find a difficult to carve out a defined role in the squad for him given his qualities relative to the Dutchman’s style of play.

With five goals and an assist in his first six appearances in the Lowland League this season, it’s fair to assert that Lovelace deserves to be playing at a higher level.

The former Millwall man is likely to be looking to the upcoming visits of Ross County and Queen of the South with wide-eyed anticipation and, as van Bronckhorst looks to streamline the pathway from the youth ranks to the first-team, Lovelace’s inclusion in the squad appears an open goal.