Alex Lowry’s game-clinching goal during the B team’s win against Civil Service Strollers on Tuesday night was special.

With David McCallum’s side down to 10 men, Lowry’s nonchalant touch, turn and flick into the far corner sealed a 3-1 win and his hat-trick. In celebration, the 19-year-old strolled away, as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

Supporters love academy graduates. As football is increasingly globalised and monetised. a familiarity surrounds homegrown talents. They represent relatability and commonality because, in theory, they understand what it means to play for said club.

This is Lowry in a nutshell; confident, willing to try things and take a risk. Always playing like the ‘big player’ in the ‘big team’ Michael Beale has used as a benchmark for Rangers’ style of play in recent weeks. That’s all fine and well if you’re capable of backing it up on the pitch with moments and throughout his youth career, alongside brief cameos at first-team level, Lowry has done just that.

For all the long-term positivity, however, he remains in some sort of limbo. When handed a start against Motherwell just after Christmas, his performance “showed where he was at” according to the manager.

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“He had some really nice moments in the game and moments where he looks very young,” Beale said after the 3-0 win.

“It’s hard to expect too much too soon but certainly playing tonight will help him moving forwards and give him more experience. He knows I’ve got a lot of trust and faith in him but I think it’s fair to say he’s got a little bit to do as a young player like most young players. We know that he’s a big player for us for the future.”

READ MORE: Alex Lowry's deep-lying role explained and why criticism isn't justified 

It ties into similar comments at an earlier press conference.

“There are areas of his game that are outstanding for a young player and there are areas I’d like to see him improve,” Beale said when pressed on Lowry's involvement. 

“I need to pick and choose the right moments for him to go in. When he goes in, I expect him to go in and stay in – and be at this club for the long term and be one of the leaders moving forward.

“When he comes to see me, as he will do from time to time - and say ‘gaffer, when am I getting my chance?’ – it’s ‘would your team-mates pick you?’

“Alex is really heading in the right direction. He hasn’t played much this season under the previous management team but, for me, he is the future of Rangers.

“In time, when the group settles, you’ll see more of Alex Lowry. But only if he deserves it. And the place he shows he deserves it is every day in training."

“It’s a big thing for a young player. Training every day, they have to earn the right from their team-mates as well.”

A starting 11 position at Ibrox can’t be handed out to anybody, regardless of talent, and although Lowry’s long-term future in the team is secure, Beale’s comments seem to insinuate that the future is not quite yet.

The question is, what of the in-between? Surely there’s little benefit to more Lowland League minutes, so would a loan move not suffice or plug the gap?

During the same answer in which Beale reiterated the need for Lowry to earn his place in training, he made another point which went slightly under the radar in relation to his youth development background, saying: “Everyone talks about experience and this is the area where I have loads of experience.”

Beale is a developer, having built his reputation working with young players. This is his area of expertise and therefore, he’s best placed to judge the point at which Lowry gets into the team and stays there.

There’s a reason the manager places such heavy emphasis on training and related it to Lowry’s first-team chances. There's no questioning the Scotland youth international's quality or ability, everyone can see Lowry has more than enough of either to thrive now. And it’s certainly not a question of lacking belief in those attributes.

Developing the areas his manager highlights will come as a direct result of gametime, but also time spent working with him on the training pitch. 

Would the benefits of loaning out Lowry really outweigh the benefit of time spent working under Beale? Or, can he use further time on the training pitch at Rangers to move the future into the present.