From Rangers to La Liga, Scotland is Robbie Ure’s next step

From Rangers to La Liga, Scotland is now Robbie Ure’s next step. The 22-year-old striker, who played the full match for Sevilla against Barcelona last weekend, is part of a new wave of uncapped Scotland forwards hoping to make their debut away to Slovenia in the Nations League on Saturday.

Against Barcelona, Ure played 90 minutes, including being marked by Pau Cubarsi, the player of the match in the World Cup final, and sharing the pitch with Rodri and Lamine Yamal. Lyndon Dykes and George Hirst are absent from Sebastien Pocognoli’s squad, while Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland and Ross Stewart have been ruled out through injury. All five players were at the World Cup in the United States during the summer.

That situation creates an opening for Ure, who has already made seven appearances for Sevilla since joining from IK Sirius in Sweden. He has already faced 12 members of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad. The striker, who failed to break through at Rangers, now has a first Scotland appearance in his sights.

His route is also being highlighted in the Scottish FA’s campaign to encourage clubs to give more opportunities to young players. Without that opportunity in Glasgow, Ure moved through Anderlecht and then IK Sirius before joining Sevilla, who paid £5.5m, with a further £2.5m in add-ons.

He describes recent months as “busy”, a word that reflects his step up in level. Sevilla reportedly lost 3-1 to Barcelona and Ure has yet to score for his new club, but he views exposure to the highest level as educational. “I really enjoyed it,” he said. “But against these players, you give them one chance and most of the time it’s a goal. For me, it was a really good experience. I’m only going to get better as a result of it.”

The player also explained his Rangers departure without bitterness: “I felt like I wasn’t good enough to play for Rangers at the time, which is normal for many 18-year-olds. It was nothing that affected my confidence. I would have loved to have stayed but I knew myself that I wasn’t going to play, which I accepted.” He added: “At a club like Rangers, it’s difficult for any 18-year-old to play. I needed a change of scenery and a fresh start, somewhere that I could go to play at a level that would be good enough for me at the time. Anderlecht provided that.”

Between April and July this year, Ure scored 15 goals in 14 games for IK Sirius, including four in one match against Mjallby. “I was scoring near enough every game, so that was probably the happiest I’ve been,” he said. “Every week I was scoring and we were top of the league. I was improving and that interest in me was getting bigger and bigger.”

Above all, that spell gave him playing time and trust. “At a young age it’s really important you’re playing,” Ure said. “I was playing 90 minutes every week, getting trust from the manager and from the club. I was given time as well. The day I scored the four goals, it was my first hat-trick. I felt like every time I shot it was going to be a goal. I’ve not had a feeling like that before in football. It was pretty special.” For him, young players need patience and minutes on the pitch to develop: “I couldn’t find that level in Scotland, so I had to look elsewhere and I’m happy that I did that.”

Just over three years ago, Ure left Rangers as a teenager, after one minute against St Mirren in November 2022 and another against Hibs in May 2023 for the senior side. Ure is alongside Hearts’ James Wilson and Sassuolo’s Kieron Bowie, each capped twice, as well as Hull’s Oli McBurnie, whose most recent of 16 international appearances was five years ago.

Player pathways have become a major topic in Scottish football, and Ure’s story illustrates what a genuine opportunity for a young player can deliver. In Spain, the level he is facing is exceptionally high. He has not scored yet, but the upcoming run under Pocognoli could offer him his first cap and another stage on which to shine.