The head coach of Feyenoord’s U21 team was in attendance at the Rangers Training Centre this week.
Melvin Boel took to social media to share an image of himself and two members of his staff visiting Rangers earlier in the week.
Whilst the purpose of the visit remains unclear, Rangers continue to strike positive relationships and trade ideas with clubs across Europe and beyond.
The Rangers Academy is now led by young Academy Director Zeb Jacobs, the young Belgian widely regarded in the European game.
Zeb Jacobs has Rangers Academy vision
Speaking about the club’s Academy following his summer appointment as the football department’s director, Zeb Jacobs has some big plans for the Ibrox youth set-up.
Aiming to turn the club’s youth set-up into a “world leader” in Academy development, Jacobs is very much a visionary who hopes to put Rangers at the forefront of European football.
“With the resources and elite infrastructure already in place, I firmly believe that our Academy has the potential to become world-leading in player development,” said Jacobs.
“My vision is crystal clear: ‘create the most exciting learning environment in sports’. By maximising the potential of every player and nurturing their skills, we aim to produce a new generation of players who can excel not only for Rangers in Scotland but also on the European stage.”
Rangers host world famous Feyenoord youth set up
The Feyenoord youth department has had several success stories over the years and it’s interesting to see Rangers welcome them to the Ibrox club.
Dutch football as a whole is famous for producing technically gifted players who excel at the top level, with Feyenoord’s recent youth development success stories an impressive list.
But Feyenoord’s in particular has a global reputation; there was no Academy which produced more players for the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil (11), for example.
The likes of Orkan Kokcu (Benfica), Stefan de Vrij (Inter), and Tyrell Malacia (Man United) are recent success stories.
Players like Lutsharel Geertruida, Quilindschy Hartman, and Justin Bijlow will be next on the list.
Rangers – as they look to develop a golden generation of footballers who can perform on the park and bank us big money off it – have a lot to learn from Feyenoord.
But it’s also interesting to consider that Feyenoord have a lot to learn from us.
