RANGERS can today announce Academy graduate Leon King has signed a new contract with the club until the summer of 2024.
The 17 year-old has already made two first-team appearances last season, and has been a familiar figure in matchday squads for Giovanni van Bronckhorst in recent weeks.
Another product of the club’s youth Academy, King has combined his first-team involvement this season with appearances in the varied B Team programme, which has seen him tested thus far in the Lowland League, UEFA Youth League, SPFL Trust Trophy and City of Glasgow Cup.
King has also been capped at multiple youth levels by the Scotland national team, and is currently a regular member of the under-19 squad.
He has followed the clear pathway from the Academy to the first-team, and will now attempt to add more appearances in van Bronckhorst’s squad in the coming months and years.
Sporting Director, Ross Wilson, commented: “Leon is a great kid and one that I’m delighted will continue on his journey at Rangers.
“Over the last couple of seasons Leon has already played in the Rangers first-team and had significant training exposure with our first-team group. He’s handled everything that we’ve challenged him with so far, and the support that he’s received across the club to aid his development has been excellent.
“It’s important that every one of our young players at this stage has a clear plan and for Leon he will now move into the first-team group under Giovanni van Bronckhorst on a permanent basis between now and the end of the season.”
Head of Academy, Craig Mulholland, added: “Leon is at an exciting stage in his development journey and we are delighted that it will continue at Rangers.
“His plan over a number of years has been very carefully managed and we have achieved several key objectives – maximising contact time via our Boclair Academy programme, appropriate player challenge playing and training several years ahead of his own age group, regular exposure to ‘best v best’ cross-border competition, early exposure at age 16 to playing against men’s first teams via our B Team project and a significant opportunity to train and learn from the first-team squad.
“Leon has met all of these challenges head-on and deserves this new contract. These carefully designed experiences, combined with his own dedication and attitude to maximising his potential, should make the next few years an exciting time for Leon.”