Salford City, Barrow and Tranmere Rovers are interested in taking Rangers winger Josh McPake on loan during the January transfer window, according to the Daily Record.

McPake has spent the first half of the campaign on loan with Morecambe in League One, but he has not had the impact that the Shrimpers would have been hoping for. That comes with him being limited to just five appearances in the third tier so far this term. He has also made one appearance in both Papa John’s Trophy and the League Cup as well, but an injury picked up in training has curtailed his impact.

Rangers are believed to hold an option to recall McPake from his loan spell with Morecambe during the January transfer window and it is believed by the Daily Record that they are considering activating that.

The report also adds that McPake is likely to make a loan move once again in England if he does return to Ibrox in January. The potential availability of the winger has alerted several EFL clubs ahead of the winter window and it is thought that all of Salford City, Barrow and Tranmere are in the mix of sides that are interested.

The 20-year-old did have a strong loan spell in League Two last season on loan at Harrogate Town. During his spell with the fourth-tier outfit, he managed to fire home four goals in his 23 appearances.

 

 

The report also adds that there is set to be some interest in McPake in Scotland with both Morthwell and Ross County potentially keen to sign him on loan. Rangers are believed to be very keen for him to get more first-team experience under his belt.

The verdict

It does seem as though McPake could benefit from having a fresh start in the January transfer window. The 20-year-old has been unfortunate with the way his spell at Morecambe has progressed and he might now need to go back to Rangers and make sure he is fully fit before finding a new loan club in the New Year.

Salford, Tranmere and Barrow represent three good options for Rangers to consider and all three would be able to offer him regular game time in the second half of the campaign. He showed that he can make an impact at League Two level last term with his loan spell at Harrogate and therefore, it would not be a shock to see him have a good spell with any of those clubs.

Rangers seem to be keen to send McPake back to England even though there is interest from Scotland. That should provide a boost to clubs like Tranmere, Salford and Barrow who are interested in him and you could see one of those winning the race for his signature.