‘Always had a good relationship’ - Rangers loanee praises Michael Beale support after impressive Hearts debut

Rangers midfielder Alex Lowry has spoken about his strong relationship with manager Michael Beale after completing a loan move to Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts last week.

The 20-year old was thrust immediately into the Jambos’ match day squad for their trip to St Johnstone and replaced Calem Nieuwenhof in the 59th minute with the visitors going on to win the match 2-0. Reports from the match suggest that Lowry looked impressive in his debut with the Edinburgh Evening News writing: “The repertoire of flicks and tricks indicated that Alex Lowry will excite Hearts supporters.”

In an interview with our sister title, Lowry said: “I just went straight into the squad in the morning, which was a surprise but I was absolutely buzzing. The sooner the games come the easier it is to get in and about the boys. Saturday was a step in the right direction. Three points and a good start to the season.

“I just think the style of football suits me [at Hearts]. The lure of European football was definitely a factor in that and just to play at Tynecastle. I’ve always been fond of Tynecastle in my times playing there previously. It was just the next step for me to go.”

On his relationship with Gers’ gaffer Beale, the Uddingston born playmaker said: “I’ve known him from when he was at Rangers under [Steven] Gerrard previously. I’ve always had a good relationship with him and we spoke a lot over pre-season and we both thought game time would benefit me in the future. It’s definitely something I was keen on doing.”

He continued: “I met the [Hearts] boys in the morning of the game and we just clicked. When I went on the pitch I was always looking for Shanks or Boycie when he came on. It just clicked, which is rare, but definitely something I was happy with.”