Following on from the excellent Ryan Jack, we take a look at homegrown talent, Ross McCrorie.
It’s been a strange sort of season for the 21-year-old, but there are heaps of positives to take out of it.
First and foremost, he’s now nailed down his best position. No more flitting between defense and midfield. He’s a holding midfielder and an extremely promising one at that.
Furthermore, he proved he can perform on the biggest of SPL stages. He excelled in the 1-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox in December. He was physical, passionate, read the game well and helped his side dominate the middle of the park.
It was the performance of someone many years his senior and the sort of outing that led to
Steven Gerrard stating in a press conference that he sees McCrorie as a ‘potential future captain.’
So positive was his impact on the team, that the Gers were unbeaten domestically when he played. That is, until the 2-1 defeat to Celtic at Parkhead in March.
However, it was a season not without frustration for the youngster.
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Despite the strength of his displays, he only actually made 20 SPL appearances, with several of those coming from the bench.
In fact, after February, he only started once. That’s mainly because of the quality of Glen Kamara’s performances after signing from Dundee in January.
The Finnish international has pushed McCrorie down the pecking order and if he stays fit next season, it’s hard to see how the Scot will get into the starting XI with any regularity.
As U21 captain, McCrorie is one of Rangers’ few viable candidates for the senior Scotland squad, but he’s unlikely to be picked by Steve Clarke if he’s not turning out for his club.
A breakthrough season in many ways for the impressive midfielder, then. Yet, he has his work cut out to earn a regular place in the team for 2019/20.
