Rangers must build squad around brilliant 22-year-old to win 2018 title
COMMENT By Will Butcher
Mark Warburton must avoid temptation to cash in on Rangers midfielder Josh Windass as he looks to mount a title challenge next season.
The 22-year-old star has reportedly attracted the interest of Championship rivals Derby and Newcastle, who could be tempted to move for Windass in January.
With the Gers struggling to mount any kind of challenge to Old Firm rivals Celtic, Warburton must start preparing for next season to mount a stronger title challenge.
His first step in laying the foundations to win the 2017-18 title should be keeping Windass despite interest in the midfielder, as he continues be one of the Gers rare shining lights this season despite his young age.
Former Brentford boss Warburton must look to build his Rangers side around Windass ahead of next season, and therefore reject any approach for the potentially brilliant former Accrington Stanley star.
His ability to control the tempo of a match, incisiveness in his passing and the timing of his runs into the opposition penalty area has seen him become a fan favourite among the Gers fans.
Son of former Premier League striker Dean, Rangers’ number 11 has pushed aside concerns that the step up from League Two football to the Scottish Premiership would be too much to handle.
Windass has caught the attention of the Ibrox faithful with a number of impressive displays as the Gers’ box-to-box midfielder, alongside the likes of Jason Holt, Andy Halliday and Matt Crooks.
In his 12 league and cup appearances, Windass has scored once and provided another three in assists for the 54-time Scottish champions as he continues to show improvement under Warburton.
In other Rangers news, Warburton should also give this 21-year-old star a permanent role.