Joe Aribo's Rangers replacement named by Kevin Thomson as he talks up 'exceptional' football brain

Kevin Thomson reckons Rangers already have a ready-made replacement at the club should Joe Aribo leave Ibrox this summer.

It's reported that the midfielder - who is in the final 12 months of his current deal - has rejected fresh terms with a number of English Premier League clubs interested in doing a deal for the Nigeria international. Southampton are one of those and they appear to be winning the race to sign the 25-year-old with the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest all previously linked.

Steven Gerrard brought Aribo to Rangers back in 2019 for just £300,000 and he has been a star performer ever since. A departure from Ibrox would come as a huge blow to Giovanni van Bronckhorst as he bids to recapture the Premiership crown from Celtic this season and reach the Champions League group stages via the qualifying route this summer. But former Rangers and Hibs man Thomson reckons Alex Lowry is ready to step in and fill the void. The 37-year-old is a a huge fan of the youngster describing his football brain as 'exceptional' and says he has 'everything in his locker' to be a top player.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “If I was a young lad, like a [Alex] Lowry or whatever, and I was seeing guys like Aribo moving on then I would be working extra hard in pre-season to try to stop the manager bothering about spending big money on a replacement.

“There’s no doubt in mind that he has all the tools to nail down a regular first-team place. He has everything in his locker to be a top player. People talk about getting chances and opportunities to train with the first team but I think pre-season, in the modern day game, is a real chance to lay down that marker.

“It’s about putting yourself in front of the