St Mirren defender Marcello De Barros made his top-flight debut against Rangers aged 15 after previously rejecting a move to the Ibrox youth academy.
Derek McInnes secured a 1-0 Premiership victory on Wednesday evening. The fixture served as a tactical trial against St Mirren as Bojan Miovski provided late Rangers drama to secure the points. However, the introduction of De Barros as a substitute highlighted an ongoing recruitment challenge for the Glasgow club.
Guaranteed Senior First-Team Minutes
Rangers scouts had monitored the teenager and wanted him in their youth system. De Barros also spent time on trial with English Premier League side Arsenal. The defender ultimately chose to remain in Paisley to secure a fast-tracked route to senior football.
The ability of smaller Premiership sides to offer instant first-team minutes allows them to out-manoeuvre bigger clubs for elite domestic talent. De Barros became the youngest player to feature for his club during a League Cup win over Dumbarton earlier this month.
Monitoring Future Academy Prospects
His top-flight bow prompted St Mirren to post on social media: “A William Hill Premiership debut for 15-year-old Marcello De Barros 👏”, according to LiveScore.
The Ibrox recruitment team is expected to keep tracking the centre-back as he gathers top-flight experience over the coming months. McInnes now prepares his squad for an upcoming Premiership trip to Celtic Park.
