Red-hot former Rangers starlet boosts Scotland case as explosive form helps launch shock title charge

The 22-year-old, viewed as potentially Scotland's next number nine, impressed last season in Sweden with 16 goals and five assists for IK Sirius, as they ended the season in a respectable eighth place, and had started the new campaign in explosive fashion.

Opening the scoring in the 13th minute through his strike partner Mohamed Soumah, the away side were pegged back early in the second period when former Celtic player Sead Haksabanovic restored parity on 55 minutes. Andreas Engelmark’s side went ahead again on the hour mark, though, when Isak Bjerkebe’s right footed shot found the bottom left corner on the hour mark.

Ure then put his side into a commanding lead just five minutes later with his eighth goal of the season in all competitions this season, tapping the ball home from close range after connecting to Jens Stryger Larsen’s cross following a smart set-piece from Neo Jonsson. Adrian Skogmar reduced the deficit for the hosts on 77 minutes. Having never won the Swedish top flight in their history, the result put the Uppsala-based side top of the Allsvenskan after winning all four of their opening games, with Ure at the forefront of their remarkable rise.

Earlier this year, reports claimed that Ure was in the process of obtaining Ukrainian citizenship, with the Glasgow-born forward eligible to represent the country via his grandfather. Linked with a move to Polissya Zhytomyr, Red Bull Salzburg and Al Ahly, Ure was said to be on the radar of Serhiy Rebrov ahead of a potential call-up for their World Cup playoff against Sweden on March 26; however, he was not included in the squad. He subsequently gave the biggest indication yet that his future lies with Scotland after being named in Scot Gemmill’s Under-21 squad for the European Championship qualifiers against Czechia and Portugal.

One of Rangers’ most highly rated youngsters during his time at the club, Ure was prolific for the club’s B-team during the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 17 goals and assisting a further eight. Handed his senior debut by Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Scottish League Cup win over Queen of the South at Ibrox, he bagged the opening goal in a 3-1 win.

However, he was left largely in the Ibrox wilderness from then on, featuring just once more for the Rangers first team. He went on to reject a contract extension with the Glasgow giants before departing to join Anderlecht in the summer of 2023, where he largely featured for their reserve team RSCA Futures in the second-tier Challenger Pro League before signing for IK Sirius, who paid a fee of £630k in order to bring him to the Swedish top flight in March 2025.

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