It Would Make Sense For Rangers To Sign Emerson Hyndman Permanently
Since joining Rangers on loan from Bournemouth in January, 20-year-old American midfielder Emerson Hyndman has been a revelation in the Gers side.
With his hard working displays in the engine room, Hyndman has managed 4 goals in 9 Premiership games. In fact, Hyndman has provided either a goal or an assist every 137 minutes across all competitions since moving to Glasgow which is extremely impressive indeed.
His performances should have also impressed boss Eddie Howe at his parent club. However, Premier League football being so demanding in England, and with Lewis Cook looking like the next superstar in Bournemouth’s midfield, Hyndman may wonder whether a few years in Scotland’s top flight might just be the best thing for him right now.
Originally from Dallas, the €1m rated midfielder has now been in UK for almost 6 years, having joined Fulham’s academy in 2011. By 2014/15 he had broken into the first team, managing 25 appearances in the Championship over two seasons with just a single goal. A move to Premier League side Bournemouth followed in 2016, although Hyndman is yet to make an appearance there at first team level.
Hyndman has already made an appearance for the US men’s national team having already represented them at under-18, under-20 and under-23 level. His improvement is there for all to see and it’s clear that by next season we will see a very well-rounded box-to-box midfield player. Goal scoring midfielders are hard to come by and in this division he will bag plenty.
Reports from the East Midlands appear to confirm that ex-Rangers manager Mark Warburton is keen to sign Hyndman for a second time, this time for Championship side Nottingham Forest. It was indeed Warburton who took the youngster to Scotland in the first place and obviously rates him highly. But it remains to be seen whether Hyndman would see that as a step down considering that he moved from the Championship to a Premier League club only last summer.
The Scottish Premiership is in a poor state now but it offers something the English Championship cannot; European football. Hyndman would see the potential to play in the Europa League or the Champions League in coming seasons as a massive step up in his career.
Rangers can simply not afford to lose him and so keeping Hyndman happy between now and June and showing some ambition for next season could be crucial. A permanent signing of this boy would be a coup for the club at this point.