Kieran Dowell can help Rangers on road to recovery after Everton splurge blocked Goodison glory path

Michael Ball watched with frustration as Kieran Dowell found his Goodison pathway blocked by a succession of big-money flops.

But the former Everton and Rangers ace reckons the former Toffees kid is just what Michael Beale needs to put his Ibrox side back on the road to recovery. The out-of contract Norwich ace is close to finalising a summer switch to Glasgow having shaken hands on a three-year Gers deal. And retired Light Blues hero Ball is confident the 25-year-old playmaker will prove to be right up the Ibrox faithful’s street now he's finally been given the chance to shine.

Although highly-rated as he made his way through the Everton youth ranks, Dowell found the route to a regular first-team slot on Merseyside closed off as new owner Farhad Moshiri pursued a new policy of chasing expensive, high-profile recruits. There’s not been much return on that costly outlay in the years since with Sean Dyche’s side now relegation-threatened outfit desperately searching for an avenue of escape from the Premier League drop zone.

That’s not Dowell’s concern any longer and Ball is just glad to see the ex-England youth international heading in the right direction after taking his Carrow Road diversion “It’s a huge opportunity for Kieran to step up and show he can play for a huge club like Rangers,” the former England defender told Record Sport.

“He deserves his chance having racked up a number of successful loans while at Everton. He should have got more games at Goodison had Everton not wasted so much cash bringing in big players under the new owner.

“Before Moshiri came to the club, Everton were successful in promoting youngsters into the first team. Kieran was among a long list of lads that the academy staff were very excited