Michael Beale’s Glasgow Rangers side return to action in the Scottish Premiership this evening as they travel away from Ibrox to face Hibernian.
The Light Blues head into the match off the back of a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at the weekend and the head coach will be hoping to continue his unbeaten start to life in the division.
Despite winning 11 of his 12 league games in charge, Beale’s team remain nine points behind Celtic in the race for the title and this means that the main focus could be on the Scottish Cup, which is their last realistic chance of winning a trophy.
They face Raith Rovers in the quarter-finals on Sunday and the Gers boss may make changes to his side for this clash with Hibernian with a view to the weekend.
With the cup potentially being the priority, Beale could use this Premiership game to offer a few players a chance to impress heading into the final weeks of the campaign with one gem, in particular, needing to be unleashed, Adam Devine.
Should Adam Devine start against Hibernian?
The 19-year-old defender, who was once hailed as “powerful” by Craig Vickers, has rarely been seen in recent months and his last appearance came against Aberdeen in the League Cup back in January.
He filled in at left-back whilst Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz were out injured at the start of Beale’s time in charge of the club, catching the eye with some strong performances.
Devine averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 across five outings in the Premiership – winning 55% of his duels and creating 1.2 chances per match from left-back. He also created two ‘big chances’ in just three starts with that showing the teenager has the quality to burst forward from defence to make things happen in the final third.
Beale praised the youngster’s performances at the time, saying: “He’s a young player who has come into the team unexpectedly and is playing out of position. Physically and mentally he’s been challenged but he’s come up trumps.”
The boss added: “I think he will jump up 25% in his natural position, certainly in attacking areas of the pitch. The captain also needs to look over his shoulder and that’s what I want.”
These comments suggest that Devine, who assisted three goals in five UEFA Youth League games last season, could actually improve upon the impressive displays he put in at left-back by being deployed in his natural position on the right.
This is why Beale must unleash the youngster at right-back tonight to see if the dynamo can take his game to another level, whilst affording the captain, James Tavernier, a chance to rest ahead of the big cup match at the weekend.