Rangers director of football Mark Allen has weighed in on the appointment of Billy Kirkwood as the club’s loans manager, saying he ticked all the right boxes for the role at Ibrox.
Kirkwood, who was working with the academy, has now been promoted to the senior team to help out Steven Gerrard and his staff with respect to loan deals arranged by the club.
The former Dundee United star has had two different spells as a coach with Rangers and having already been a member of the set-up for some time, he was handed the responsibility without any second thoughts from Allen.
Kirkwood will now work with Gerrard, Allen, head of scouting Andy Scoulding and head of academy Craig Mulholland to manage the players out on loan and identify those who may need a spell away from Ibrox to speed their development.
Allen admitted that the club decided on Kirkwood since he was an internal solution and due to the fact that he ticked all the boxes for the role.
“We have gone internally as we believe we have the right person in Billy Kirkwood. When you look at Billy, he ticks every single box”, Allen told the club’s official website.
“He has been a manager, he has been a player, he knows the Academy system inside out and back to front, and he is everything that we want and has everything we want in terms of being able to develop those boys.
“He has the boys’ ear, they have high regard for him and he is well-respected.
"If it is on your doorstep, why should you look elsewhere?”
Rangers will next face Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final on Sunday at Hampden Park.
