BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
FORMER Rangers and Hearts winger David Templeton could be set for a return to football with Vancouver Whitecaps after joining the Major League Soccer outfit on trial.
The 28-year-old has been without a club since leaving Rangers last summer and has not played a competitive match since August 7, 2015, when he turned out for the Gers in a 3-1 win over St Mirren.
He rejected the opportunity to sign for League 2 side Edinburgh City following an audacious bid from the capital club earlier this season, while he has previously been on trial at Raith Rovers under his former Hearts coach Gary Locke.
However, Templeton is keen to kick-start his career and is pursuing opportunities abroad. He is currently training with the Whitecaps – who count Kenny Miller and Barry Robson among their ex-players – during their pre-season camp in Wales.
He did not feature for the Whitecaps on Friday as Carl Robinson’s side succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Cardiff City U23s in their opening friendly of the tour, however he could be afforded a run-out in the upcoming contests against Oxford United and Bristol City.
Templeton emerged through the youth ranks at Stenhousemuir before being snapped up by Hearts in 2007. He was farmed out on loan to Raith Rovers but thrived on his return to Tynecastle, ultimately scoring 13 goals in 94 appearances for the Jambos.
That convinced Rangers, in League 2 at the time, to shell out around £700,000 on the former Scotland under-21 winger. Despite scoring 26 goals for the club – including 17 in his first season – his Ibrox career petered out and he made just three appearances during his final campaign.
