Rangers academy coach Billy Kirkwood feels that the Under-17s' game against AZ Alkmaar was a really good test for them as it was something which they don’t encounter in Scottish football.
The Gers Under-17s travelled to Holland to play two friendlies with FC Volendam and AZ Alkmaar on 7th and 8th February respectively.
Rangers recorded a resounding 4-2 win over Volendam in the first game of the competition, before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against AZ Alkmaar in the second one.
Kirkwood highlighted that in the second game, AZ Alkmaar fielded three Under-18s players to bolster their squad as a few of their Under-17s were away on international duty.
Kirkwood, who is now in his second spell with Rangers, believes that this presented the Under-17s with a big test, and underlined that it was important that the young players came up against these problems as it is something they do not encounter in Scottish football.
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Speaking in an interview with Rangers TV, Kirkwood said: “The Alkmaar game in particular was difficult for them.
"They had a few lads with the Dutch national team so they bolstered the squad with some Under-18s, which was a really good test for our lads and regardless of the score in both games, we won one and lost one, it was important that our lads were put up against these problems, which they sometimes don’t encounter in Scottish football.”
The Gers have introduced a lot of changes to their youth academy to help produce world class players for the first team in the near future.
The Under-20s also travelled to Valencia in a two-week warm weather training camp last month.
