Glasgow Rangers return to action in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday as they host Hibernian at Ibrox with the aim of kickstarting a new era at the club.
Belgian boss Philippe Clement was officially unveiled as Michael Beale's successor on Sunday and he will surely be hoping for a positive performance and result in his first match in charge.
The 49-year-old tactician will be looking to stamp his own mark on the team and one way in which he could do that is by dipping into the academy set-up to unleash a new first-team star.
Clement worked with and developed the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Benoit Badiashile, Leandro Trossard, and Lois Openda before their respective moves to other European sides.
He now has an array of exciting young talents at his disposal to pick from at Rangers and could look to the B team to find his next project.
One prospect who has the potential to explode at first-team level if he is able to translate his youth form over to the senior game is winger Arron Lyall, who could be a better option than Ross McCausland for the Light Blues.
How did McCausland perform against St Mirren?
Interim head coach Steven Davis was forced to call upon the Northern Irish gem in the 42nd minute of the win over St Mirren after Zak Lovelace was withdrawn due to a muscle injury.
It was his fourth appearance at senior level for the club and his second of the current campaign after a Europa League cameo against Aris earlier this month.
Key passes
Three
Dribbles
Zero
Shots
Zero
Duel success rate
25%
Sofascore rating
7.2
McCausland's performance vs St Mirren (via Sofascore)
As you can see in the table above, McCausland provided a creative threat down the right flank as he was able to set his teammates up for three chances.
However, the rest of his game left a lot to be desired as the 20-year-old prospect did not offer a goal threat and struggled to deal with the physicality of the match.
The talented youngster was given the call-up by Davis after an excellent year at B team level for the academy side during the 2022/23 campaign.
McCausland contributed with eight goals and four assists in 31 Lowland League appearances alongside zero goals and zero assists in three Challenge Cup outings. This means that he averaged one goal contribution every 2.83 matches across those games.
The Northern Ireland U21 international did enough to convince the interim coach that he was ready to make an impact at senior level and repaid some of that faith with his chance creation against St Mirren.
However, his Scottish Premiership showing does not mean that there may not be a better option waiting in the wings for their chance to impress.
This is why Clement must look to unleash the rarely-seen Lyall from the start against Hibernian if Lovelace remains out injured after being stretchered off last time out.
How many appearances has Lyall made for Rangers?
The former Scotland U16 international has only made one first-team appearance for Rangers but his form at youth team level suggests that the potential is there for him to offer more than McCausland.
Lyall produced an eye-catching 14 goals and three assists in 36 Lowland League and Challenge Cup games combined throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
This means that he averaged a goal or an assist every 2.12 clashes for the B team, which is more frequently than his Northern Irish teammate managed during the same season.
His exceptional performances were recognised by both the club and his peers at the end of last term. He was named the Rangers academy Player of the Year and the B team Players' Player of the Year.
This illustrates how impressive his displays at youth level were last term as they were good enough to win him both of those awards, ahead of the likes of Lovelace, McCausland, and Alex Lowry.
Lyall, who was once dubbed an "exciting" player by Inverness boss Neil McCann, has not been given an opportunity to showcase his talents at senior level beyond a two-minute cameo against Hibs last season and Clement's arrival could open the door for him to work his way into the team.
What's next for Lyall?
The Gers magician must now knuckle down in training and prove to the Belgian coach that he deserves to be selected from the start, or at least play a role off the bench, in the match at the weekend.
His superb statistics and achievements throughout the 2022/23 campaign suggest that the potential is there for him to be able to make a significant impact if he can make the step up to first-team level.
It is now down to him to prove to Clement that he is ready to play and then for the manager to be brave and unleash him from the start ahead of McCausland.
They should both, however, be ahead of former Aberdeen winger Scott Wright, who has been in dismal form over the last 15 months or so.
How has Wright performed for Rangers?
The Scottish forward has contributed with zero goals and one assist in his last 25 Premiership matches for the Gers since the start of last season.
Wright, who was sent off against Aberdeen in his last league outing, has been given ample opportunities to prove his worth in a Rangers shirt and has, thus far, been unable to do so.
His lack of contributions at the top end of the pitch, in terms of goals and assists, do not suggest that he has the quality to be a game-changer or difference-maker for the Light Blues in the final third.
The 26-year-old winger should be in the prime years of his career and that does not bode well for his future prospects at Ibrox, as his form since the start of last term has not been good enough – as evidenced by his woeful statistics.
Whereas, Lyall and McCausland have, at least, shown promise as goalscorers from a wide position during their time with the B team of late.
That is why Clement should lean on the youth to provide his side with energy and, hopefully, quality on the flanks against Hibernian and over the months to come.