Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement has enjoyed a terrific start to life with the Scottish giants since he replaced Michael Beale in the dugout in October.
The English tactician, who has since joined and then departed English side Sunderland, was relieved of his duties whilst the Gers were seven points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table.
Clement has overseen a phenomenal turnaround at Ibrox that has left his team top of the table and two points ahead of their closest rivals after 26 league matches.
The Belgian boss has only had one transfer window to shape his squad – in January – and brought in Mohammed Diomande, Oscar Cortes, and Fabio Silva to bolster his options.
It will be interesting to see what Clement is able to do in the summer with regards to the playing group, as it has been reported that he wants to lower the age of the squad.
Rangers star who could be allowed to depart
A recent report from Football Insider claimed that Gers star Tom Lawrence could be ditched at the end of the season, due to the manager's desire to piece together a younger side.
The outlet stated that Clement wants to bring in high-potential youngsters with the potential to develop as part of an exciting team at Rangers moving forward, which appears to spell bad news for the older contingent of Light Blues players.
Football Insider name Lawrence as one player who could be sold during the summer transfer window as any sale would be pure profit for the club, who signed him on a free transfer from Derby County in the summer of 2022.
Borna Barisic is also said to be on his way out of Ibrox on a free transfer at the end of the current season, as his contract with the Scottish giants is due to expire.
Whilst Rangers and the Belgian tactician could look to dip into the market to find high-potential players to replace the likes of Lawrence, Barisic, and others, they could also look to the academy to bring through and develop their own homegrown stars.
Ross McCausland has made 25 first-team appearances in all competitions so far this season, and contributed with three goals and four assists from the right flank.
18-year-old whiz Zak Lovelace also played twice in the Premiership earlier this term before suffering an injury, which shows that there are talented prospects coming through the B team.
With this in mind, Clement could unearth a dream homegrown replacement for Lawrence, should the midfielder depart on a permanent basis in the summer transfer window, by bringing Alex Lowry into the first-team set-up.
Alex Lowry's time with Hearts
The 20-year-old maestro spent the first half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan with Hearts in the Premiership and gained valuable minutes in the top-flight.
He started ten of his 12 appearances in the division as Steven Naismith provided him with plenty of opportunities to catch the eye in the middle of the park or out wide.
Lowry failed to score in those 12 matches but did contribute with two assists for the team, to go along with his one goal and two assists in two League Cup outings for the Jam Tarts.
Appearances
12
Chances created
22
Dribbles completed
17
Dribble success rate
52%
Sofascore rating
6.92
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Gers academy graduate showed glimpses of the quality he can provide in midfield with his ability to create chances and glide past opposition players with the ball.
However, the young gem was not a regular starter, possibly due to his lack of regular goals and assists, heading into the January transfer window and Naismith decided to send him back to the Light Blues.
Goals and assists may come for Lowry as he continues his development, though, as his record for Rangers at youth level has been particularly eye-catching.
The talented wizard, who was once described as "dangerous" by ex-boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst, racked up 12 goals and three assists in 16 appearances for Rangers B.
Lowry, who has produced two goals and two assists in 14 first-team matches for the club, has the potential to be a big goalscoring threat from midfield and could go on to emerge as a key player for Clement if he can translate that to senior level.
Tom Lawrence's form this season
The Wales international has made 13 appearances in the Premiership so far this season and, like Lowry, has caught the eye with his creative quality.
Lawrence, however, has not scored a single goal for the Light Blues in the top-flight this term, which means that they will not be losing a big goal threat if they decide to cash in on him.
The former Leicester City gem has, though, created four 'big chances' and assisted two goals for his teammates in those 13 league outings.
Appearances
13
12
Chances created
21
22
Dribbles completed
Nine
17
Touches per game
40.5
43.6
Goals
Zero
Zero
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, both players have performed to a similar level in the Premiership this season, as they are both creative midfielders who have failed to find the back of the net.
At the age of 30, Lawrence is not a long-term option for Rangers and may have already reached the peak of his development, which is why Clement could cash in on him in the summer.
The Gers should not plan to have the experienced whiz as a regular starter moving forward, due to his age, whereas Lowry is at the opposite end of his career at the age of 20.
He has the majority of his career, injury permitting, to look forward to and is a player the head coach can work with and develop over the years to come.
Even if Lowry does not establish himself as a regular starter next season, the academy prospect could learn from a player like Todd Cantwell and then look to break into the side consistently in the future.
Therefore, Clement could unearth a dream Lawrence replacement, and save the club millions, by bringing the youngster up into the first-team instead of swooping for a multi-million pound new signing.