Former Rangers striker hails "exciting opportunity" for new Airdrie signing

Airdrieonians have snapped up Linfield midfielder Liam McStravick for an undisclosed fee, in a move described by Blues boss David Healy as an "exciting opportunity."

The 18-year-old was announced as the Diamonds latest recruit last night, subject to international clearance, and could feature in Saturday's Championship clash with Dundee United if his paperwork goes through without a hitch.

McStravick has been playing sporadically under former Rangers striker Healy at Linfield, but Healy says he will be watching with interest to see how the Northern Irish talent copes with Scottish football, where he scored four goal in 19 appearances for the Ibrox side.

Following Linfield's 3-3 draw with Carrick Rangers yesterday, Healy told Belfast Live : "It's an exciting opportunity for Liam.

"After rejoining the club from Cliftonville at the end of July last year he has gone on to make seven sub appearances in our first team since then, most recently in our 3-1 Conference League home win against KF Vllaznia of Albania.

"On behalf of everyone at the club, I want to take this opportunity to wish Liam every success with his move and of course, we will all be watching his progress with a keen interest."

Meanwhile, Airdrie player-boss Rhys McCabe has revealed the move has been a while in the making.

“I’ve been after Liam for ages after getting a good look at him last year," he told the club website.

“He went into Linfield’s first-team at a young age and hit the ground running, scoring on his debut and playing in European competition.

“I think he’s very similar to Adam Frizzell in terms of how he plays - explosive off the mark, real quality and balance on both sides, and a real promising prospect with a big future.

“Having the