Rangers boss Danny Rohl insists the club will do everything in their power to renew Mikey Moore’s loan deal from Tottenham next season.
Moore inspired Rangers to a dominant victory over Aberdeen at Ibrox last night, a result which keeps them within three points of leaders Hearts in the title race. The 18-year-old winger was the best player on the pitch as Rohl’s men dismantled an Aberdeen side who are now firmly in relegation trouble.
Moore scored Rangers’ second goal shortly after half-time, with the others coming from Tochi Chukwuani, Nico Raskin and James Tavernier.
Much will depend on what happens with Tottenham’s managerial situation in the summer, but Rohl revealed that plans are already afoot to extend Moore’s stay in Glasgow for a second season.
Asked about Moore’s name ringing around the stadium last night and the fact Rangers fans are desperate for him to stay, Rohl said: ‘Yeah, me as well. There’s no question. I think conversations are always there [with Tottenham], but we know when Mikey performs like this, you can see he enjoys playing for Rangers.
‘The fans love him, I like him, he’s a key player. I think there’s a lot of good things where we could go again together. We know he’s still not our player, let’s work in the next couple of weeks in all those directions [to bring him back].
Moore is getting ‘better and better’ according to Rangers boss Danny Rohl
‘Since I came to the club, Mikey is getting better and better. We started this week to prepare for the summer. I think we are in a good position, we are very clear what we want.
‘I think it’s also helpful now that we have the idea of how I want to play football, committed with a fantastic owner, with the good people around me — everything goes in the right direction.
‘We work hard, we have again a good summer that we prepare for next season, but let’s finish this season strong and successful. The most important thing is that we bring good results in the next seven games. If we win the next seven games, we will win the league.’
Rangers were good value for their win, with Rohl’s side producing a positive response to Hearts’ victory over Dundee earlier in the day. That now leaves the ball in Celtic’s court as they head to Tannadice to face Dundee United before all the clubs head into the international break.
Asked about the nature of the Rangers performance and implications in the title race, Rohl stated that goal difference could yet play a major role.
‘As a manger, you always want to see goals,’ he said. ‘This is important. We have seven games to go. If we win them, we will win the league.
‘We have now two games to go, we want to win the next two games, have a fantastic situation before we go into the split, and then in the final five games I think it will be exciting.
‘I was happy to see my team perform like this. We were the better team and performed well. We dominated the game and did our job.’
The German is eager to extend Moore’s loan for another season following the success of this term
Meanwhile, Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson admitted that the performance from his players was nowhere near good enough.
The Dons tumbled further towards relegation trouble with a dreadful display at Ibrox, with Robinson’s side now just three points ahead of the relegation play-off spot.
Results at the bottom of the table did not go in their favour yesterday, with Kilmarnock and St Mirren both winning, and Robinson admits it is now a major concern.
‘I was very honest with the players in the dressing room after the game,’ he said. ‘I told them the truth, delivered a few home truths. Maybe if that had been done six, seven months ago, people would have stepped up. It’s frustrating. The reality is we’re in a dogfight.
‘Including myself, everybody has to stand up. We have to scrap and fight to get out of this. We have to stick together. We have to have the same desire to run back and defend as we do going forward. The subs gave us a lift, gave us energy.’
