Rangers Prospects Depart on Loan as Celtic Goalkeeper Secures Last-Minute Move

Celtic Strengthen Premiership Lead as Rangers Suffer Another Home Defeat

Celtic extended their advantage at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a commanding 5-2 victory over St Mirren in Paisley.

Their win came after Rangers endured a third consecutive home defeat, with Motherwell securing a 2-1 triumph at Ibrox earlier in the day.

Brendan Rodgers’ side now looks set to clinch their fourth consecutive league title, as Rangers’ interim manager Barry Ferguson experienced a disappointing return to Govan.

His team’s struggles continued, making the title race even more favorable for Celtic.

Here’s a roundup of the latest developments from Glasgow’s two major clubs:

Rangers Academy Players Head Out on Loan

Rangers have added two more youngsters to the growing list of academy players sent out on loan.

Goalkeeper Jacob Pazikas and midfielder Darren McInally are the latest to secure temporary moves away from Ibrox.

Scotland youth international Pazikas is embarking on his third loan spell, having previously played for Civil Service Strollers and League Two side Stranraer.

This time, he steps down a level to join Lowland League club Gala Fairydean Rovers.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old McInally is set to gain his first taste of senior football, joining relegation-threatened Cumbernauld Colts at Broadwood.

Rangers recently revamped their youth development strategy, abandoning the ‘best-vs-best’ B team games program that had failed to yield the desired results.

The reserve squad has played just 14 matches this season, with half of those being independently arranged fixtures against English academies.

Several academy prospects—Findlay Curtis, Bailey Rice, Mason Munn, and Paul Nsio—earned first-team promotions under former manager Philippe Clement before his dismissal.

However, many others were deemed not yet ready for senior action and were subsequently loaned out across various levels of Scottish football.

Celtic’s Joe Morrison Joins Stenhousemuir on Loan

Celtic B-team goalkeeper Joe Morrison has finalized a loan move to SPFL League Two club Stenhousemuir for the remainder of the season.

The young shot-stopper has been a key figure for Celtic’s second team in the Lowland League, keeping 15 clean sheets in 35 matches.

He was also included in the Hoops’ first-team squad for five games in 2023.

Morrison was an unused substitute as Stenhousemuir secured a 3-1 victory over Dumbarton earlier today.

Stenhousemuir’s Head of Football Operations, Martin Christie, expressed his gratitude to Celtic for ensuring the transfer was completed before the 5 p.m. deadline.

“I am delighted we have managed to bring in Joe,” Christie told the club’s website.

“We learned late last night that Curtis Lyle’s injury could keep him sidelined for some time, so we needed to act quickly to secure a goalkeeper.”

He continued: “Joe is a player we’ve been aware of for some time.

His performances for Celtic B have been impressive, and at 20, he is at a great stage to step up and compete for a place in the team.

While Curtis is out, he will provide competition for Darren (Jamieson), and we look forward to working with him.”

Christie also extended his thanks to Darren O’Dea at Celtic and the Stenhousemuir board for facilitating the move swiftly.

With Celtic strengthening their lead and Rangers struggling to find form, the contrasting fortunes of the Glasgow giants remain a major talking point as the season progresses.