Glasgow Rangers have had quite a number of teenage starlets emerge from the academy and push their way into first team reckoning over the years.
Think back to Charlie Miller in the 1990s, who played a key role under Walter Smith during the nine-in-a-row era, to more recent players such as Barry Ferguson and Alan Hutton, two homegrown boys who made the club serious money in the transfer window – ranking among the club's top ten most expensive departures.
The Ibrox side has always looked at developing talents and there was one youngster who stood above the others during Smith’s second stint in charge of the Gers – John Fleck.
Fleck, the nephew of former Ibrox star Robert Fleck, made his debut aged just 15 back in 2007 during a pre-season friendly and by the end of that season, he had made history, becoming the youngest ever player to feature in a senior final as he played five minutes in the 3-2 Scottish Cup final win over Queen of the South.
Over the next few seasons, the Scot struggled to make a consistent impact in the first team, making only 56 appearances before eventually leaving in the summer of 2012 due to the club’s administration, joining Coventry City for free as manager Ally McCoist couldn’t keep hold of the youngster.
What is John Fleck up to now?
If McCoist knew just how much Fleck would improve by moving south of the border then he would have potentially tried harder to keep the midfielder as he has gone on to shine.
Nearly 200 appearances for Coventry prompted a move to Sheffield United in 2016, and he has since tasted Premier League football while also finally fulfilling his potential by claiming five Scotland caps.
This season, Fleck has played a key role in firing the club back to the top flight, making 23 appearances and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, there is no doubt he will be hoping for another year or two in order to give the Premier League another shot.
His former boss Chris Wilder once dubbed the 31-year-old “incredible” and to have carved out an excellent career like he has having been earmarked as one of the next big things back in 2008, is testament to his professionalism.
Could he have enjoyed similar success had he remained at Rangers? Who knows, however, there likely won't be one Rangers supporter who isn’t pleased that Fleck has managed to not only display his excellent talent, but to reach the heights that everyone at the club knew he was capable of.
