Former Rangers wonder-kid assesses Ibrox 'scrutiny' and how it shaped him amid SPFL Premiership redemption arc

Rangers academy product Alex Lowry has opened up on his early struggles at Ibrox under intense ‘scrutiny’ despite his natural talent.

After coming through the youth ranks in Govan, the attacking midfielder made his first team debut at the age of 19 in 2022. It was clear from the get-go that Lowry possessed a natural creative talent in the middle of the park, however he wasn’t able to live up to expectation at Ibrox. The Scotsman left for EFL League One side Wycombe Wanderers in January 2025 after a failed loan spell at Hearts.

Now at 23, Lowry has returned north of the border as Motherwell signed him on loan from Wycombe in the summer. The Lanarkshire side haven’t quite hit the same heights as last season yet, but nevertheless, the Ibrox academy product has been a consistent performer in their midfield and in turn, was voted by fans as their Player of the Month for August.

Lowry struggled with Ibrox ‘scrutiny’

In a video posted on the club’s social media, Lowry went back to where it all began for him growing up in Uddingston. He reflected on what life was like coming through at Rangers and how he handled expectations. He said: “Coming through at Rangers, there’s a lot of scrutiny on you from a young age. Straight away, you’re kind of in the limelight in a way. There are a lot more eyes on you and what you do. For certain people, it can affect you. It maybe affected me at certain points in my life.”

Perceived attitude issues for the youngster didn’t help his Rangers career. The midfielder is well aware that he’s been labelled as ‘lazy’ due to his laidback demeanour. Lowry maintains he has a relaxed personality on and off the pitch, but in his new surroundings at Fir Park, he aims to change the narrative about his work rate.

Lowry tackles ‘lazy’ label

He continued: “I can see both sides of it. I’ve got a kind of relaxed posture and relaxed kind of demeanour, which can come across as lazy. Previous coaches I’ve worked under would say I definitely worked hard. I do my best day in and day out. As I’ve got older, I’ve put more of an emphasis on working harder and doing more stuff in the gym and being more professional, maybe.

“Maybe when I was a bit younger, I would rely on my ability which would get me out of trouble. Now it’s a case of head down and prove them wrong. Basically just try and shift the narrative to ‘no, he does work hard, he is a team player’. Loads of boys I came through with, we’d speak about it, and it’d become a bit of a joke. But you know it’s not a joke, you do think about it a lot and you start to doubt yourself. I’ve seen boys that it’s really affected and other boys it’s maybe not affected as much.”

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