John Fleck

The production line of Scottish talent is not what it used to be. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s Scottish players made a major impact south of the border with the likes of Denis Law, Billy Bremner, Kenny Dalglish, Charlie Nicholas and Graeme Souness some of the most impressive performers in world football. In recent times it would be fair to say that only Darren Fletcher and Craig Gordon have emerged to great fanfare and they both still have a long way to go to firmly establish themselves as true greats of the game.  Glasgow giants Rangers though have great hopes for 17-year-old striker John Fleck, who has been described by the press in Scotland as "the Scottish Wayne Rooney ." The young striker is the nephew of former Scottish international Robert Fleck who played for Rangers, Norwich and Chelsea .  IMScouting's network of scouts in Scotland claim that the 6.0ft striker, is "a player of massive promise despite his tender years. Direct running, powerful style and extreme confidence have earned him comparisons to Wayne Rooney. He has been a regular for Rangers' Under-19s and made his first team debut at 15 on a pre-season tour to Germany in 2007." Fleck is well developed for his age, not quite as much as Rooney was at the same age but he is a strong boy. He is good on the ball, direct and has recently broken into the Rangers team playing on the left of midfield. In a short time Fleck has made some high profile appearances in Scottish football. He played a starring role in the Scottish Youth Cup final last season (which can be seen on the video above). And also became the youngest British player to play in a senior cup final when he came on as a substitute in the 2007/2008 Scottish Cup final win over Queen of the South . After making his mark by being named man of the match on his full Rangers debut against Falkirk in January, it was reported in the English press that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson sent his brother Martin, one of his most trusted scouts, to watch Fleck a week later in the 0-0 draw with Aberdeen . The left-footed youngster confirmed his growing reputation in his third SPL match against Dundee United as he won a penalty and then converted it in the 78th minute of the 2-0 home victory (this can also be seen on the video above). Fleck was again named man of the match for this display, capping two highly impressive performances in just three league games. Rangers seemingly knew that Fleck would be a major star, in March 2006 it was reported that the Glasgow giants had purchased a house for Fleck and his family since they were worried about the company he was keeping and were eager for him to stay focused on football. This appears to have been a good move as the current Rangers squad say John Fleck is a good guy off the pitch, very level-headed, confident yet humble. On being labeled the "Scottish Wayne Rooney," Fleck himself has previously spoken of the comparisons: "I don't think I'll ever be as good as Wayne Rooney but hopefully I can follow in his footsteps. It doesn't bother me that people make comparisons with someone like him as anyone would like to be spoken about in the same way as a guy who's a brilliant footballer. There is only one player like him but it doesn't hurt to look up to players like Rooney as he's unbelievable." Fleck added: "I can use him as an inspiration as he is someone who every young player would want to copy. It is flattering to be compared to Rooney and I obviously hope to be as well known as him.” Some recent press reports have claimed that Fleck was ushered into the Rangers first team in recent weeks due to the clubs financial problems which could have been lessened by selling the youngster to a club in England . It seems clear that Fleck's future will likely end up in England for the benefit of Rangers and then we shall see whether he really can be compared to Wayne Rooney