Mark Warburton has insisted that he wants Rangers' youngsters to earn their spot on the first team bench and hence he named just five substitutes during the weekend’s 4-3 win over Queen of the South.
Due to the ongoing international break, youngsters such as Barrie McKay and Billy King are on duty with their respective countries, thus leaving a void in the close-knit Rangers squad.
As a result, Warburton, who elected to list just six substitutes in the 3-2 loss to Falkirk on 18th March, decided to go with one less against Queen of the South.
And the manager, who is not concerned with heading into crunch league games with a depleted squad, explained that even sitting on the bench with the first team is an honour which needs to be earned.
“To be on a Rangers bench or to be in a Rangers squad you’ve got to earn it, you absolutely have to earn it”, he told Rangers TV.
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“It should be an honour to be in that position and that’s the way I want it to be.
“We had a number of boys away in international squads – with the 17s and 19s and 21s – so they were the players available and I want to make sure for all the academy boys the chance is there, but you have to justify and work hard to earn that place.”
Rangers, who are currently 14 points clear at the top of the Scottish Championship table with a game in hand, will next face Raith Rovers in an away league game on Saturday.
