Who is Kevin Ciubotaru? Rangers prospect who walked the Joe Aribo path flies under transfer radar

It was anything but a quiet end to the transfer window at Rangers.

The late arrivals of Manchester United's Amad Diallo and then Juventus superstar Aaron Ramsey on loan deals quite understandably hogged the headlines.

But in a deal that went largely under the radar, the club added in-demand youngster Kevin Ciubotaru to their academy ranks.

The Romanian teenager, 18, has reportedly attracted significant interest from around Europe and spent time with Rapid Vienna.

Here, Record Sport Online takes a closer look at the defender.

Borin in Rome in 2004, the left-back has represented Romania at youth level.

He went on-trial at Chelsea in 2019 but admitted it was a step he was not yet ready for.

Ciubotaru persisted, however, and spent time with the Kinetic Academy in England.

Rangers fans may recognise Kinetic as the youth football initiative with which Joe Aribo honed his skills before being picked up by Charlton Athletic.

Ciubotaru continued pursuing professional trials and was offered a deal by Barnet - but the youngster said it did not include accommodation and meals and he decided to decline.

A report from Romania also claims he was set to sign for Tottenham in 2020, only for work permit issues to scupper the transfer.

His Ibrox chance arose from Rangers' initial interest in one of his Kinetic team-mates, but Ciubotaru seemingly stood out and was invited to Auchenhowie.

Ciubotaru revealed he bases his game on AC Milan full-back Theo Hernandez.

He said: "I think my qualities are speed, dribbling and stamina. I style myself like Theo Hernandez from Milan, although I have a lot of work to do with my right foot. I still have a lot to learn of course."

The youngster also insisted the past few years of trials and tribulations