Scotland under-21 squad confirmed with 8 Rangers Academy graduates involved

Five Rangers players have been named in Scot Gemmill’s Scotland under-21 squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifier away to Turkey – with three more ex-Gers joining them.

Lewis Mayo, Stephen Kelly, Josh McPake, Ben Williamson and Glenn Middleton are all in the squad with ex-Rangers Academy youngsters Brian Kinnear, Dapo Mebude and Zak Rudden also involved.

With eight of the 22-man squad having come through the Academy at Rangers, it is a testament to the fantastic work being done by Craig Mulholland and his staff to develop players capable of reaching the first-team.

The clash with Turkey will be Scotland’s first competitive fixture at under-21 level since November 2020, although Gemmill did organise a friendly double-header in May.

Scotland will take on the Turks at Bursa Buyuksehir Stadium, home of Turkish Super Lig side Bursaspor, which holds almost 44000 people.

Belgium, Denmark and Kazakhstan are also in Group I with Scot Gemmill’s side – while the lack of involvement for Rangers full-back Nathan Patterson suggests he will keep his place in the senior Scotland squad after travelling to Euro 2020.

Another recent Rangers youth graduate, Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour, is also likely to be involved with the senior squad after making a temporary move to join the Blues’ Premier League rivals, Norwich City.

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