A Scottish FA-commissioned report has suggested the introduction of a 'co-operation system' in Scottish football which could prove to be an alternative to B teams.

Currently, Rangers B do not compete in a formal league season after pulling out of the Lowland League following the rejected Conference League proposal.

It means it can be challenging for youth players to get minutes in a first-team environment outwith a youth context other than if they are sent out on loan.

The difficulty there, though, is the commitment for players to leave for a set period of time before being able to return to Rangers and potentially feature in European squads as a home-grown player or in domestic action.

The 'co-operation system' - suggested by the 'Report on the transition phase' findings - would see partnerships formed between clubs in Scotland allowing free movement for players between their parent club and the partner side.

In effect, that would mean a youth Rangers player could play for the first team of a 'co-operative club' and then return to feature for the Ibrox side in Europe or should an injury crisis occur.

“It's a system which has already been established, it's been used for a number of years in some other countries,” Chris Docherty, head of men's elite strategy at the SFA said.

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“Austria, for example, has been a country which has got one of the longest running histories of doing so. So, let's say for example Red Bull Salzburg, they don't have a B team which plays in the pyramid like in some other countries, but they've got Liefering, who's a co-operation club with them, a partnership club.

“And in Croatia they now have the co-operation system model, in Hungary we had a co-operation model. I worked in Hungary, and we had a co-operation team in the second division.

“So, basically within that model it allows players, similar to a loan, but it allows them to move back and forward between two clubs who don't play in the same division concurrently, to move back and forward outside the transfer window.

“With the co-operation system, you could hypothetically go and play a senior game at the weekend, and then you could come back and be part of the matchday squad for European competition as well."

Docherty added: “Typically, within your 23-player squad, you might have four or five of those, or players come through from the academy. So, you're then hesitant to put them out on loan, because again, if you get four or five injuries, you need those players to be playing in your team.

“However, when you don't get those injuries, those players don't play in your team, so again we see an issue where sometimes the players that go out on loan are not the ones that the head coach or the club actually identify as the highest potential player, but they then overtake that player because they've got minutes playing senior football.