Daily Record

The 18-year-old has been electric during his season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur as he dreams of title glory

Upfront Mikey Moore admits not returning to Rangers next season would be a gut-punch as he vowed to do everything to help seal only a second Premiership title in 15 years.

The 18-year-old has been electric during his season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur and is a vital part of the side which is smack bang in the middle of a three-way title fight for the ages with Hearts and Celtic.

Moore is open to a return to Ibrox next season but Rangers may have to play the waiting game with Spurs locked in a relegation dogfight with the England youth international likely to be the fulcrum of any rebuild if they dropped to the Championship.

The playmaker has allowed himself to think what it would be like if he doesn't return, as he attempts to do everything in his power to make a telling impact in his side's final seven games.

Speaking to The Athletic, Moore said: "I've thought about this already. I don't know what's going to happen in the summer but if it plays out that I'm not going back it's going to be really tough as I do genuinely love the club and this city. I have made a connection with the fans. These last seven games are massive. Every second I'm on the pitch I'm going to make the most of it and leave everything on the pitch."

Moore was a fringe man for Spurs last season but got first-hand experience of what it feels like to deliver a trophy to a fanbase. And he wants to replicate that at Ibrox with Rangers three points behind leaders Hearts with 21 still to play for.

He added: "This means everything to me. Last year winning the Europa League was unbelievable but I didn't have as much of a part to play. I feel a responsibility to try and help the team lift the title. We either end it with nothing or the biggest prize you can win."

Moore has also provided a further insight into the inner workings of Ange Postecoglou and what happened before the Australian made him the youngest Premier League player in Tottenham's history when he was awarded his debut.

The former Celtic boss is hailed for his modernity but the Ibrox loanee has explained the old-school nature of his approach before receiving one of his early career highlights.

He said: "He showed trust in me by playing me and I could tell he liked me, but I never spoke to him. He just said 'you're coming on' against Man City for my debut. For my first start I found out in the meeting two hours before the game when the team was on the screen. He stays quite far away and tries to not have as much of a relationship so that when it comes down to big decisions and he has to leave people out, he doesn't have feelings.

"Obviously, a decision was made (to sack him after winning the Europa League) by the people at the top of the club but for me it was a bit of a surprise. When we won I thought he would stay and try to build on what he had done."

But it's a different story when it comes to Danny Rohl. The Rangers boss opened his doors and served his teenage prodigy a rallying message about his importance to the team.

And Moore has revealed the call to arms he was sent from Rohl before the game against Kilmarnock in October which has resulted in Moore becoming a key man in the German's 4-2-2-2 formation.

He said: "I got called into his office. He said: ‘You’re not starting but don’t worry you’re going to come on, maybe at halftime or after 55 minutes, and you’re going to make an impact today’—and I did.

“He told me I was going to be a massive player for us and, by the end of the season, be one of our best players. Those were his words. It gave me belief in myself and made me feel wanted by him. I wanted to repay that.”

The youngster – who revealed his Rangers-daft girlfriend gave him pelters in the wake of last month's Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic – has revealed a telling tweak has paid off big time.

Moore added: “I was in a hotel for over a month while I tried to sort out where to stay, so my nutrition wasn’t right. I have a big focus on that now. That’s been massive and I feel a big physical improvement. I feel a lot better. I work with someone day-to-day outside the club with my movement and my nutrition. I’ve changed my diet a lot which is big for me the way I’m built.”

And the Rangers star – beloved by fans – admits he's come a long way in Light Blue as he reflected on a day of errors under the ill-fated Russell Martin era against Hearts.

Moore was miles off it and he knows it, and he got first-hand experience of how unforgiving an arena Ibrox can be when things don't go your way. And he insists he wouldn't have it any other way.

He said: “I tried to forget about that!. That was a bad day for me. I had a disaster. I could feel the fans getting on my back. Nothing was going right for me. I could have played simpler at times and tried to get myself back in credit. Just keep it and stop doing what I was doing and giving the ball away.

“You can prepare yourself and people can try to prepare you, but once you get hit with it, it’s different. It’s something I’ve never experienced before.

“It was a tough time. I had been dragged off a few times. It was mentally tough to deal with. I could feel it from the gaffer and the fans. I didn’t want to experience too many more days like that. The difference between then and now is madness.”

The loanee has impressed this season at Ibrox while his parent club fight the drop

Tottenham Hotspur's struggles at the foot of the Premier League table won't help Rangers keep loanee Mikey Moore next season.

That's according to Ibrox legend Ian Durrant. He believes the North London club would want to keep the 18-year-old at the club if they are relegated Tottenham are in real danger of dropping out of the English top flight.

Defeat to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest last weekend leaves Spurs just a point outside the drop zone having failed to win a game since Igor Tudor was named as boss.

In contrast, teenager Moore has impressed on loan in the Scottish Premiership and emerged as a key man for Rangers in their bid to land the title.

Gaffer Danny Rohl has admitted he would like to work out a deal for the wonderkid to remain in Glasgow next season.

Former Rangers' boss and captain Barry Ferguson told the 5 Stars Podcast: "I thought on Saturday [against Aberdeen] he was great, and every time he got the ball something was going to happen, that's how I felt.

"His finish was brilliant. I like him, he just pops up in areas that he is difficult to pick up. For an 18-year-old he has been top class. Hopefully we can try our best and keep a hold of him for next season."

Durrant noted the struggles of his parent club as a factor: "It's not really helping us the way Tottenham are playing, and the way Mikey Moore is playing.

"I'm sure things will happen, but at the present moment he seems to be enjoying his football and that's part of it now.

"He is an 18-year-old with an older man's head on his shoulders. It would be great to see him next year.

"But, this year, if he was to leave and go up the road I would love for him to leave with a league winners medal. It would be great for him."

Ferguson added: "He has come up a boy and goes back a man. For me right now he is the difference maker for Rangers."

Speaking last weekend, Moore conceded his future was up in the air: "We're going to see. Obviously, I don't know what's happening with the manager and what's happening at the club at the minute.

"We'll see how the season ends, who comes in and I'm going to speak to people and just try and find the best solution for me."

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The on-loan teenager dazzled again in light blue in the Premiership romp over Aberdeen at Ibrox

Mikey Moore admits the situation at troubled Tottenham could decide whether he is allowed to return to Rangers next season.

The on-loan Spurs kid has been an Ibrox sensation this season and showed again his burgeoning talents with a man of the match display in Saturday night’s 4-1 win over Aberdeen. Boss Danny Rohl admitted after that display that he’s as keen as the rest of the Gers support to see Moore back in blue next term.

But the final say on that will be made by the youngster’s Premier League parent club. And with Spurs scrapping for their lives at the wrong end of the English top-flight, the 18-year-old England under-18s cap acknowledged his own future could very well hinge on which division the North London outfit are playing in next season.

New interim boss Igor Tudor has picked up just one point from four league games in charge and now leads his side into a crucial relegation crunch against Nottingham Forest today, knowing defeat would leave his team in real danger of losing their top-flight status for the first time in 48 years.

Moore said: “Yeah, we're going to see. Obviously, I don't know what's happening with the manager and what's happening at the club at the minute. We'll see how the season ends, who comes in and I'm going to speak to people and just try and find the best solution for me.

"This loan has been unbelievable for me and if it's right for me next year, then I'd love to stay here, but we have to see what's going to happen.”

Moore was watched by Tottenham’s loan manager and former Rangers chief scout Andy Scoulding on Saturday night as he scored the second of his side’s four goals against the Dons. And he’s waiting for news on what plans his main employers have in store for him.

“Yeah, to be honest, I don't know if there's been much club-to-club contact yet, but I know that people have spoke to me and the people around me, so conversations are happening and we'll see what happens come the end of the season,” he said.

“I just want to enjoy the last seven games and obviously I've absolutely loved it up here, so we'll see what happens. The loans manager at Spurs is Andy Scolding, who used to work up here, so he was a big influence in me coming here in the first place.

“He explained to me what he feels it can help me with and I think he was completely right with everything he said. I'll speak to him, I think he was up here watching the game. I'll probably ring him after, so we'll see what he says.”

Rangers were under pressure to respond to Hearts’ win over Dundee earlier on Saturday. But they refused to buckle and swatted Stephen Robinson’s dismal Dons aside. With seven games to go, there’s no room for error but Moore says his side are growing more confident by the week.

He said: "People throughout the season have written us off many, many times. It was written off two weeks ago (after throwing away a two-goal lead in the Old Firm draw with Celtic), so it's always a chance to get back in it.

“For us, it's just building on what we've done and trying to not slip up, hopefully, and just keep picking up three points. It's a big team collective and the fans can be a massive part of that and play a big part in what we're doing.”

“Saturday was a really good team performance. We've done well to come out with the three points and I think we had the performance to go with it. I’m really happy with it and I think the gaffers are happy as well, so it's always good.”

The Light Blues ran out 4-1 winners over struggling Aberdeen at Ibrox

Danny Rohl has told the Rangers fans he’ll do everything in his power to keep Mikey Moore at Ibrox.

The on-loan Spurs winger put in a man-of-the-match display in their 4-1 victory over Aberdeen, scoring their second goal with a terrific finish. The home support sang Moore’s name and gave him a standing ovation when he was eventually subbed off by Rohl late on.

The 18-year-old has impressed since moving to Glasgow but is due to return to London in the summer. Rohl has reiterated his desire to get the youngster back to Rangers next term and admits talks have already started with the Premier League outfit.

Spurs and Moore would need to agree to a second loan stint but the German wants to make it happen. After goals from Tochi Chukwuani, Moore, Nico Raskin and James Tavernier kept them on the coat-tails of Hearts in the title race, Rohl was asked about supporters wanting Moore to stay and said: “Me as well! There’s no question mark.

“We started this week to prepare for the summer. We’re in a good position and we are very clear about what we want.

“It’s also helpful now that we have an idea of how I want to play football. We’re committed with a fantastic owner and good people around me.

"Everything goes in the right direction. We’re working hard to prepare for next season but let’s finish this one strong and successful.

“I think conversations are always there (regarding Moore). We know when Mikey performs like this, he enjoys playing for Rangers.

“The fans love him, I like him and he’s a key player. There’s a lot of good things, where we could go again together.

“But he’s still not our player so let’s work in that direction. The most important thing is to get results in our next seven games.

“He enjoys it here and he’s getting better and better.”

Rohl was delighted with his side’s dominant display against the Dons as they stayed just three points off Hearts at the top of the Premiership table.

He’s urged his players to keep performing at that level and attempt to win every one of their remaining games in the title race.

If they do that and pick up victories, the Gers gaffer is convinced they can lift the trophy.

If they win their next game at home to Dundee United, they could go top of the league before rivals Hearts and Celtic play.

Rohl said: “It was a great performance today. We spoke about getting a result and performance and we got both.

“It makes me really happy to see my team perform like this.

“We want to see goals but also clean sheets.

“The only small thing today was that we let Aberdeen back in for a short moment at 2-0.

“But in general, we played with intensity, we were aggressive and it was a good performance.

“It’s a small statement from us, especially with the goal difference.

“We’ve won our last two ‘cup finals’. Now we have seven more to go.

“We cannot influence the schedule. We just want to win the next two games before we go into the split and the final five games will be exciting.

“What’s important is that we have something to celebrate on the final match day.

“It doesn’t matter what the others are doing. If we win the seven games, we’ll win the league.”

The Australian is out of management after his tough spell at Nottingham Forest earlier this season

Out of work Ange Postecoglou has teased a change of stance on returning to former clubs - after previously shutting down links to Celtic.

The Australian boss became a firm fan favourite as he scooped five of the six trophies available to him during his time at Parkhead boss. He signed off with a domestic Treble in 2023 before leaving to take charge of Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite leading the club to a fifth-place finish in his first season and following it up with a Europa League triumph, the 60-year-old was shown the door in North London last summer. Postecoglou is now working for UEFA's Technical Observer Panel after a nightmare stint at Nottingham Forest earlier this season.

Spurs are currently in free fall as the club plummet towards the relegation spots in the Premier League. Igor Tudor has lost his first four games after taking charge from Posteocoglou's successor Thomas Frank last month.

That slump led to Postecoglou being put on the spot by TNT Sports about a potential return to Spurs. He grinned in response: “No comment.

“I am still invested in the club because I have an attachment to those players, I worked with them for two years.

“The last time I interacted with the fans there was 200,000 on the streets of London.

“It pains me to see it. It definitely looks like the players are fairly lost at the moment. There’s obvious pressure there. It’s a really difficult time."

It marks a dramatic change of tune from his appearance on The Overlap when he was asked about going back to Glasgow's East End.

Martin O'Neill will leave his interim role as Parkhead gaffer at the end of the season, following an SOS to the 74-year-old by the club after Wilfried Nancy was axed.

He ruled out Celtic as his next club on the basis that he "doesn't go back" to former employers.

Postecoglou said: “In terms of going back, I don’t go back. I don’t think that’s been my career. Whatever the next step it’ll be something new.

"I loved Celtic. If I was younger, I probably would’ve stayed there longer. I think I could have made progress with them in Europe.

"The whole two years, I was within a community that was just so passionate, it'a crazy how passionate they are about their football club.

"I was fortunate we had success. It's a positive experience and I loved every minute of it. I look back on it fondly but I won't go back. Thats how my career's played out."

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Europa League-winning Postecoglou clarified previous comments he made about Tottenham Hotspur

Ange Postecoglou pressed pause on his new role as the former Celtic boss cooled previous comments he made on former club Tottenham.

The Australian is taking time away from the dugout after his chastening stint at Nottingham Forest, but joined UEFA's Technical Observer Panel last year. Postecoglou was sent to Paris by his new employers to take in PSG's clash with Chelsea - but took a break from work to address the struggles of his former club.

The 60-year-old led Spurs to Europa League glory last season and earned them a spot in the Champions League. But they were soundly beaten in a calamitous 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night to leave their place in Europe's elite competition hanging by a thread.

Igor Tudor, who has lost four consecutive games since taking over from Thomas Frank, is facing major pressure with the club stumbling into a Premier League relegation scrap.

Asked by Joe Cole about the lack of spending on TNT Sports, Postecoglou said: "That’s a broader argument but the reality of it is they’ve got to deal with it now, that’s the most important thing.

"The football club, I said it a couple of weeks ago, wasn’t behaving to me like a big football club in terms of the kind of players it was attracting.

"But it is a big football club, we saw that last year, there was a couple of hundred thousand people in London going nuts there and I felt it, how big a club it is.

"But in the Premier League it’s a slippery slope once you take your eye off the ball with certain things.

‘But all that is not important right now. What’s important now is where they are in the league, they need to maintain their Premier League status which is obviously paramount to what they want to build.

"‘Those kind of questions you kind of go, ‘okay, we want some real direction here’. I think it’s pretty clear what Tottenham fans want – they want the team to play a certain way, they want success, every team wants success."

He also offered some advice for under-fire boss Tudor: "It’s hard for me to comment from the outside but, for me, it’s about instilling some belief, show them the kind of players they are, not that they can be, that they are, what they’ve already shown."

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It's been a disaster for Tudor at Spurs and it's hitting a bit too close to home for one Celtic-daft broadcaster

Under-fire Igor Tudor has been told he's Tottenham's version of Wilfried Nancy as the unthinkable crisis of relegation becomes a serious prospect in North London.

Spurs turned to former Juve boss Tudor to steady the ship after Thomas Frank's disastrous appointment but three straight defeats have left them just a single point above the relegation zone.

Last night's 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace was as bad as it gets – and jaws hit the floor when Tudor claimed after the game he's 'more confident than before' that his side will avoid the drop.

He added that 'the ship is going in the right direction', and singled out individual players for underperforming. And according to one broadcaster, it's a similar situation to the one Celtic faced with Nancy.

The Frenchman lasted just seven games at Parkhead, of which he lost six before he was ushered out the door. In that time, his frequent claims that identity and style of play were more important than immediate results went down like a led balloon.

And speaking on talkSPORT this morning, Celtic-daft broadcaster Shebahn Ahern reckons she's seeing the same mistakes from Tudor.

She said: "It's like Wilfried Nancy, that's the vibes I'm getting from Tudor. When it's all going wrong on the pitch and you expect to hear something inspirational off the pitch, and then he's talking about ships sinking and 'now I've seen better'."

Ally McCoist then cut in with a defence of the 47-year-old, saying: "He knows he's not going to be there next season, so he's going in, pointing at the players, and saying 'you're getting it, you're getting it, you're getting it'... at least he's being honest!"

Tudor, after Palace came from behind to gun down 10-man Spurs last night, was asked if Spurs were at genuine risk of relegation. But he said: “I will tell you now, maybe it will sound strange, but I believe more after this game than I believed before.

“I saw something. I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I want to go and needs to go and whoever is in the boat can stay. Otherwise they can bow down, or - how do you say that - leave the boat.

“When the other players come back, and we choose the right players, I’m sure we will have a good team and the victories will come back. It’s not easy to accept the moment where we are now but it is how it is.”

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Tim Sherwood is spitting feathers over the call by Spurs not to place their faith in the electric teenager

Bruised Tim Sherwood has criticised struggling Tottenham Hotspur for not placing their faith in Rangers loan hero Mikey Moore.

The 18-year-old has been a smash-hit during his season-long loan at Ibrox with fans desperate for the playmaker to return for another season.

His personal success comes amid his parent club's disastrous season, which has them teetering on the brink of relegation from the Premier League.

Spurs allowed Moore – understood to be eyed for a long-term contract in North London – to join Rangers for the season and the decision has paid off for the Ibrox side as they battle to land the Scottish Premiership title.

But their former manager reckons he should be in the mix for Tottenham already.

Sherwood, speaking on the latest edition of Footy Accumulators ' No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, in partnership with BOYLE Sports, said: “They loaned him out because there’s no pathway for him. I think it’s a great pathway there (at Rangers) for him to gain some experience.

"No one (at Tottenham) fancied him at the moment, and they would probably argue and say, ‘We’ll let him gain experience’. I would argue that he’s better than what you’ve got, so bring him back and let him play games. Not only would he be better than some of the players that they’ve signed and are in the squad, but you’re also having a shocking injury crisis."

And Sherwood isn't only peeved about Moore's temporary departure, as he cast a light on Tottenham's recruitment calls.

He added: “Not only Mikey Moore, Luka Vuskovic should’ve been brought back from Hamburg in my opinion - he’s played pretty much every game and scored four goals, he’s a big centre-back. Phillips, the boy they signed from Blackburn, who’s on loan and plays every week at Stoke, he should’ve been brought back - and not just for no unnecessary reason, but to play.

“Some might say, ‘But you’re in a relegation battle’ - yes, they are, and that’s with the group they’ve got playing at the moment. Give these guys an opportunity. Not only Mikey, and I’m not saying they’re going to be the answer, but they might be.”

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The former Hoops boss has been touted for a possible return since being out of work

Ange Postecoglou has categorically ruled out returning to Celtic as manager.

The Aussie scooped five of the six trophies available to him during his time at Parkhead boss, claiming a domestic Treble in 2023 before leaving to take the reigns at Tottenham Hotspur.

Postecoglou guided Spurs to a fifth placed finish in his first season to qualify for the Champions League.

His second proved trick in terms of the Premier League as he put all his eggs into the Europa League basket.

Despite finishing 17th, Tottenham beat Manchester United in the Europa League Final to back up the boss' claim that he "always winds a trophy" in his second season.

That wasn't enough to save him from the sack last summer however, while the less said about a 39-day stint in charge of Nottingham Forest earlier this season, the better.

With Celtic on the hunt for a new permanent boss, links to a Parkhead return for the 60-year-old were inevitable, with Martin O'Neill not really a viable long term option when he'll be 74 next month.

But Postecoglou has dumped a bucket of cold water over those suggestions, insisting that he simply doesn't go back.

“In terms of going back, I don’t go back," he told the Overlap. I don’t think that’s been my career. Whatever the next step it’ll be something new.

"I loved Celtic. If I was younger, I probably would’ve stayed there longer. I think I could have made progress with them in Europe.

"The whole two years, I was within a community that was just so passionate, it'a crazy how passionate they are about their football club.

"I was fortunate we had success. It's a positive experience and I loved every minute of it. I look back on it fondly but I won't go back. Thats how my career's played out."

The 18-year-old left Tynecastle on loan in the winter window for a crack at the Premier League

Irked Gordon Strachan has unleashed on James Wilson after his decision to leave Hearts for Tottenham.

The Hearts kid made a surprise deadline day switch to the Premier League giants after opting to join Tottenham’s youth set up on an initial six month loan that includes an option to buy, while Arsenal were also on alert. Following the switch, boss Derek McInnes told Wilson he made the wrong move signing for Spurs.

The 18-year-old had struggled for regular game time with the Premiership leaders this term, but McInnes would have preferred the prospect made a temporary switch to a move in Scotland. Since then, the Scotland cap has gone on to make his Premier League 2 debut for the North London side.

Strachan reckons the switch will prove to be a misstep as the former Celtic boss insisted the PL2 is the "last place" Wilson should have gone to develop, as he branded the set-up the "Disneyland of football".

He told BetVictor Casino: "He wasn't playing first-team football because there were people in front of him who were better at that moment in time. Would I have said go to Spurs? I'd have said no.

"I think Derek McInnes is right, and when Derek's angry, and Derek can be an angry man at times. He's quite right because young players always have this plateau and that’s where you have character building moments.

"The last place you want to go to develop your character is the Premier League 2.

"There's no character building there whatsoever. Because if you look at them, who's top of that league? Who cares? What are the scores? Who cares?

"It is like the Disneyland of football. It's fluffy. It's nice. There's nothing to it.

"Nobody gets hurt in there, nobody gets spoken to the wrong way, nobody gets put under pressure, there's no crowd screaming at them.

"The manager can't even demand from them because it's the Disneyland of football. You want to go there if you want no pressure, enjoy yourself."

The Dundee technical director insists that Wilson will now suffer when he makes the jump back to first-team football.

He went on: "I see players going from that league [Premier League 2] to Scotland, and it's like putting a domesticated animal in the jungle.

"Derek's right, if you really want development, because we see players coming up and you see them developing. We've got two at Dundee at the moment who are doing terrifically well, Tony Yogane and Cameron Congreve

"Cameron went out to Bromley and did very well there, but you have to get out of this league because it will suffocate you. And that is that league.

"Usually, the top players are playing by 17, 18 anyway, but if you get smothered between 18 and 22 in that league, if you're still playing in that league for four years, you'll literally have become nullified to the realities of football.

"I went to see one recently, just up the road. I said get me home, I've got to watch something else, I might even watch EastEnders because it must be better than this."