Rangers Head of Academy Craig Mulholland has insisted that his side are more focused on developing youngsters than winning trophies.

The Gers Under-17s, who are currently on a short trip to Holland, will play their first match of the tour against FC Volendam today before taking on AZ Alkmaar tomorrow.




The Under-17 side have regularly lent players to the Under-20s, with Liam Burt even making it to the first team bench.

And Mulholland, who thinks the exposure in Holland will be a different type of experience for the Rangers starlets, explained that playing the Under-17s in the Under- 20s games highlights the fact that the club counts development over trophies.
 


“It’s purely about taking the players out of their comfort zones and playing against a different type of player, both in terms of the physical side of it, but also in the tactical and technical side which they maybe just don’t always get at home”, he told the club’s official site.

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“From our point of view, if we had wanted to win games and leagues then we wouldn’t have played the under-17s up in the 20s the way we have. We don’t want to hold boys back in their development.

“If winning leagues and trophies happens then great, but if not, our main focus is on getting players ready for the first team.

“The fact that Liam Burt, who is an under-17s player has been on the first team bench shows that is much more of a priority than winning any youth league at Rangers.”

Mulholland, who revealed that an Under-15s player is also part of the trip to Holland, went on to add that Rangers have high expectations from the present Under-17 crop.

“A lot of these under-17s boys will have had experience of playing in the under-20 League this season which is important”, he added.

“The seventeens group we have really high expectations for – we even have an under 15s player who is travelling with the group, so that example shows the kinds of challenges that we are setting for players.”

Rangers Under-17s, coached by Billy Kirkwood, defeated Partick Thistle 5-0 in their last game on 2nd February.