RANGERS and Celtic have announced that they will quit the SPFL Reserve League after raising concerns about its suitability for producing the next generation of players. Celtic Head of Youth Development Chris McCart said: “We are trying to improve and bridge the gap between the Reserves and the top team. We wanted to create a Colts team in the lower leagues but that was knocked back.”

Meanwhile, Rangers’ Head of Academy Craig Mulholland has he and his players received words of encouragement from his Real Madrid counterpart in the wake of their Al Kass Cup win earlier this year.. “The Real Madrid coach was coming away saying ‘I love the style of play you have’,” said Mulholland. “The Real Madrid coach was saying that about Scottish kids and a lot of them will now go and play at the top level.”

Celtic have unveiled their new home kit for next season, that you can take a look at here.

Celtic under-20s forward Mikey Johnston has revealed that he has been practicing his set-pieces after scoring the winning goal in the Glasgow Cup final from a free kick. “All the best players who take free kicks will have put hundreds of hours into them,” said Johnston. “I try and practice everyday but not too much just so I keep the legs fresh.”

And Celtic captain Scott Brown has insisted that he did nothing wrong during the tempestuous Old Firm derby back in March. Brown said: “I walked away. I got smacked in the face and punched. I stood up and I walked away from when it was all going on, because somebody is usually looking to blame me so I made sure I stayed well clear of it all.”

Rangers have confirmed the signing of Motherwell winger Jake Hastie on a four-year deal, who will join the club in the summer after agreeing a pre-contract agreement. Rangers manager Steven Gerrard told RangersTV: “We are always looking to add individuals to our group of players who will improve us and Jake will undoubtedly do that.”

And Hastie has revealed that he missed out on going on holiday with his friends last summer so that he would be sharp for this season. “The gaffer had told me I needed to be fitter and I knew I had a year left on my deal so that’s what I did. My friends were on holiday in Magaluf and Ibiza and places like that and I was back home at Dalziel running track making sure I did extra,” said Hastie.

One man who might not be at Ibrox next season is on-loan Liverpool winger Ryan Kent, who admitted that the lure of silverware will ultimately shape the decision over his future at the club. Kent said: “If I was to get an opportunity to go elsewhere in the summer or not, I would want a club with ambition, a club that is driven on getting silverware and the fans are as well.”

And Kent has said that he would like to settle down at a club rather than being shipped out on loan year after year. “I am tired of changing clubs each year, I want to become a player somewhere where I can settle down,” Kent said.

The PFA Players’ Player of the Year shortlist has been announced, with Celtic and Rangers dominating the lineup. Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Callum McGregor and James Forrest are the four players in contention for the award.

The contenders for PFA Young Player of the Year have also been announced, and Celtic youth coach Stephen McManus said he was surprised not to see Kristoffer Ajer on the shortlist. “Kristoffer has been terrific and the modern-day defender,” said McManus. “He is one of those guys at our club when you forget how young they are.”

Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson, who has been nominated for Young Player of the Year, has insisted that he wants to be recognised for his own achievements, and not his uncle’s or father’s. Ferguson said: “Obviously my uncle and my dad were top footballers but I want to be known as Lewis and for what I’ve done, not just because of my name.”

After the extraordinary leak from the Partick Thistle dressing room that revealed that players have been asked to suggest a starting lineup for this weekend’s do-or-die clash with Queen of the South, captain Stuart Bannigan reckons that the players now know who they can trust at Firhill. “We know what we need to do, and in a strange way this all might make us even closer together and make us fight for each other even more,” Bannigan said.

In rugby, Ali Price has been crowned Glasgow Warriors’ Player of the Year as the Scotland scrum-half continued to enjoy a very different end to his season compared with that of a year ago. “It’s a huge honour to win this award and I’d like to thank the supporters who voted for me,” said the 25-year-old.

And in athletics, Scotland’s former World and Olympic champion Liz McColgan reckons that the controversial decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold the IAAF’s ruling that Caster Semenya must suppress her naturally-occurring, abnormally-high testosterone levels to participate in certain events is the correct call. “It is not about any one individual but the fact that women deserve the right to a level playing field,” tweeted McColgan.

Elsewhere, the Scottish Sun are reporting that Celtic have taken up a 12-month option included in Scott Sinclair’s contract that means the English winger will earn £1.7 million next season.

Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis has signed a five-year contract extension at Pittodrie, according to the Daily Record.

And Inverness manager John Robertson has told the Press and Journal that he is worried that he might lose Joe Chalmers to Highland rivals Ross County.