Bristol Rovers boss Graham Coughlan has moved quickly to shut down rumours his side are interested in signing Glasgow Rangers winger Josh McPake.

Speaking to the Bristol Post, Coughlan joked he wasn't looking to sign the 17-year-old despite the reports to the contrary, but had he been a Celtic player he might have considered it.

“From Rangers? Rangers? Are you actually telling me I am going to be signing a Rangers player? If he was from Celtic I might think about it," said the Irishman.

“I haven’t seen that, I haven’t read that, I will go home and have a look and see where that has come from. It is the first I have heard of it.”

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A Football Insider article claimed that Coughlan's side are one of a number of clubs looking to loan the talented wide man. St Johnstone, Ross County and Rovers' League One rival Doncaster were all linked with a swoop for McPake, who made his Gers debut as a substitute in the Europa League tie with St Joseph’s FC last month.

The Gas have had a patchy start to the season, losing against Blackpool on the opening day, then drawing with Wycombe at the weekend. They did advance to the EFL Cup second round last night, beating Cheltenham Town 3-0 at the Memorial Ground.

The Verdict

Is Coughlan making a tongue-in-cheek joke here? You certainly wouldn't expect a manager to shut down a possible source of talent, not in the manner he seems to do with Rangers.

Surely, the days of allegiances like this have long gone for managers? Teams should be open to recruiting from anywhere at any time, especially if it adds quality to their squad.

McPake is highly-rated at Ibrox, but a move within the SPFL might be a better option for him at this stage; League One can be unforgiving and he needs game time to improve.