DAVE KING is pleased with the progress that has been made at Auchenhowie as Rangers continue to improve their Academy structure.

Youth chief Craig Mulholland and boss Mark Warburton have made significant changes at Murray Park in recent months after years of underinvestment in the next generation of Light Blues stars.

Ally McCoist highlighted the lack of scouting resources at the club during his time as manager as cost-cutting measures saw staffing levels in the first team and Academy ranks drop.

Rangers now have youth scouts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are targeting Scandinavian and Nordic countries in a bid to snap as many up-and-coming stars as possible.

King has spent recent days responding to questions from supporters regarding a number of issues and the Gers chairman has now outlined the progress that has been made at Murray Park.

He said: “A club-wide player profile has been created that identifies the personal and footballing characteristics that we require of a Rangers player.

“The personal characteristics are generic and the footballing characteristics are determined for each position on the field. The most important characteristics focus on the Club’s pre-determined football philosophy, culture and playing style.

“We concentrate on the players’ technical, tactical, mental and physical attributes. This assessment is supported by state-of-the-art data analysis and statistical calculation.

“Training programs have been developed and conducted with all of the scouting and recruitment team to ensure that all staff members are fully conversant with the player profile model.

“Significant checks are now being undertaken via social media, family meetings and extensive character references on potential player recruits to ensure that they fit our profile.

“The Academy now has 25 scouts looking for schoolboy players in Scotland. Key areas of Scotland which the club had historically given little attention to such as Inverclyde, Fife, West Lothian, Perth, Dundee and the Borders are now being covered while coverage has been intensified in high-population areas such as Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and Greater Glasgow.”