Rangers midfielder returns after loan cut short as ex Ibrox favourite joins Motherwell

Rangers midfielder Alex Lowry has had his loan spell at Hearts cut short by the Jambos and the 20-year old has now returned to Ibrox.

The Edinburgh club confirmed the news on Friday night in an official statement in which head coach and former Gers' hero Steven Naismith confirmed that the decision was made by the them and not by his parent club. He said: "We took the decision to end the loan with Alex’s best interests in mind.

"There is absolutely no doubting Alex’s talents as a player, and he’s shown in periods what he’s capable of doing on the pitch. But with the competition for places fierce in our squad, he’s probably not going to get the game time that would allow him to develop further, which is one of the reasons he was here in the first place.

"I’ve no doubt he’ll go on to become a top player. He’s a great boy, we thank him for all his efforts at Hearts and wish him well for the future." The 20-year old scored one goal across 20 appearances in all competitions for Hearts.

Meanwhile, former Ibrox favourite Andy Halliday has also left Hearts and will spend the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan at Premiership rivals Motherwell. The deal comes with a view to a permanent transfer once the 32-year old's contract expires this summer.

Halliday made over 100 appearances during his time with the Jambos and was a firm favourite of the Tynecastle crowd. He was with Rangers from 2015 to 2018 and has also turned out for the likes of Livingston and Middlesbrough during his playing career.