A TEEN midfielder who scored a hat-trick against Ayr United yesterday has been snapped up for the rest of the season.

Ian McCall has today made his second loan signing of the week, adding highly-rated Rangers midfielder Stephen Kelly to his squad.

Kelly, who scored a second-half hat-trick against United in yesterday’s pre-season friendly at the Rangers Training Centre yesterday, joins the Honest Men for the 2019/20 season.

The manager said :”Stephen is very very highly rated at Ibrox. We had been speaking to Steven Gerard and Gary McAllister about him well before our game yesterday where he scored a hat trick.

"He is a central midfielder who can play in a 2 or a 3 and is very versatile. He is always looking to move and pass the ball and he was in the top 3 at Rangers when they completed their fitness testing. We need him to integrate well at the club, feel like an Ayr United player and have a great season.”

The nineteen-year-old signed a new deal in September to extend his stay at the Ibrox-club until 2021 and comes to Somerset Park looking for first team experience after being in and around Steven Gerrard’s matchday squad last season.

The Port Glasgow born youngster, a Scotland U18 and U19 internationalist, made his competitive debut in Rangers’ 4-0 win over Ayr in last season’s Betfred Cup.

Kelly is the third capture for the Honest Men in the pre-season, following on from Sam Roscoe and Frank Ross.