Steven Gerrard has confirmed Glenn Middleton will be playing his football in Holland in the upcoming campaign.
Although he did not mention which club the winger would be joining, it is believed he will be heading to NAC Breda and playing his football in the Eredivisie (per The Daily Record).
Middleton was believed to be heading across the border at one point to join Doncaster Rovers on a loan deal, but that allegedly fell through earlier this summer due to a managerial change at the English club.
A move to Holland could work well for Middleton’s development as players have shown some success when pitting themselves in Dutch football. As The Telegraph noted, the likes of Jake Clarke-Salter and Dan Crowley enjoyed success whilst away from their parent clubs.
Valued at £195k by Transfermarkt, the Scotland Under-19 international managed to have a productive season for the Light Blues throughout the 2018/19 campaign as he proved to have an impact on the pitch at times.
Middleton managed to net himself five goals and provide a further five assists in his 29 appearances for Rangers, which included featuring in the Europa League (Transfermarkt).
However, the 19-year-old – who is believed to be highly-rated by Gerrard and the coaching staff at Rangers – was always going to find his opportunities in the first-team rather limited following the arrivals of Greg Stewart, Sheyi Ojo, Jordan Jones and Jake Hastie.
He is yet to have featured for Rangers this season, which perhaps is further evidence that he would be better suited to playing his football elsewhere temporarily and impress those at the club from further afield.
Leaving Rangers temporarily could really benefit Middleton and help him to develop his game even further, and as mentioned, Holland has been a notable destination for youth products to become better footballers with regular minutes on the field.
With the deal to Doncaster Rovers allegedly falling through, it would seem a better opportunity has arisen for the winger; now it is up to the 19-year-old to show Gerrard and the Light Blues just exactly what he can bring to the team in the future.
Rangers fans, do you think a loan spell with NAC Breda could be a good thing for Middleton’s development? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them in the comments section below!