“McInnes must sanction loan exit for Rangers summer signing after latest snub v St Johnstone”

Vanja Dragojevic is the kind of signing supporters get excited about, and that is exactly why the situation has become awkward. The 20-year-old arrived from Partizan for around €5million in July on a four-year deal. Yet he is going backwards. He has been an unused substitute in eight of the last nine games, and he has not started since the Conference League qualifier defeat at Jablonec in August. (livescore) (footballtransfers)

The latest snub came in the 4-0 win over St Johnstone. McInnes considered using him in the second half but sent on Tochi Chukwuani instead. Rangers were comfortable winners, so this was a ready-made chance to give a young player some minutes, and it passed him by. Nobody can fairly criticise McInnes for trusting what is working, but it does make the picture hard to ignore. (livescore)

McInnes insists the player’s time will come, and he is right to point out the juggling act that comes with a big squad. But promises of future minutes only go so far when a teenager-turned-twenty-something is sitting on the bench week after week. Development does not happen in the stands, and a four-year contract is not much use if the player stagnates in year one.

That is why a loan makes sense. A spell at a club where Dragojevic would start regularly, ideally at a decent level, would protect the value of a €5million investment and keep him match-sharp. It would also free up a squad place for McInnes while the injury list remains unpredictable. Nobody should read it as a failure; plenty of talented young players need a stepping stone before they are ready for Ibrox.

January is the natural window, and McInnes has said he is not looking to lose players then. Even so, sanctioning this one would be a sensible exception. Dragojevic is too promising to waste, and Rangers are too invested to let him drift.