Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour is a “fabulous little player” but will not return to Rangers on loan in January, says manager Steven Gerrard.
Midfielder Gilmour, 19, played in two Champions League games this month after a stint out following knee surgery.
It had been suggested the former Ibrox youth player could return with a view to earning a place in Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad, but Gerrard denied that.
“There is nothing in it from our side,” the Rangers manager said.
“He’s a fabulous little player but there has been no contact between the clubs or the managers. I think that’s just people putting two and two together and looking for stories.”
Gerrad did, however, concede that Rangers are interested in Colombian striker Juan Alegria.
Alegria, 18, was quoted saying he was close to leaving Finnish side FC Honka for Ibrox and Gerrard acknowledged that there “is something in that one”, albeit he has been scouted for the academy.
The manager also repeated his desire to secure midfielder Glenn Kamara on a longer deal.
The Finn’s current contract expires in 2023 but he has reportedly caught the eye of Juventus, Everton and Leeds.
“It’s my job to advise when I predict there is a lot of noise around a certain individual and obviously to try to protect the club from a situation where we could lose one of our best players,” Gerrard said.
“Is it a case of rewarding Glen? Yeah, and also to send a message that we’re trying to build a team here. The last thing we need now is to lose a big part of that jigsaw.
“The board are aware of it, they are on the same page, and I think it will only be a matter of time.”
