Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has branded young Rangers winger Ross McCausland an Ibrox inspiration.
The young Gers winger, 22, is having an inspired campaign off the right for Rangers after breaking through into the first-team following a few years in the club’s Academy.
Having joined Rangers from Linfield, the young Northern Irishman is making a big impression back home and was even handed his Northern Ireland debut earlier in the season.
Talking to the Belfast Telegraph, Michael O’Neill has heaped praise on Ross McCausland and claims his situation at Rangers should serve as an inspiration to others.
Michael O’Neill praises Ross McCausland
Michael O’Neill has claimed that Ross McCausland has developed rapidly over the last few months after breaking through into the Rangers first-team.
The ex-Stoke City manager also claims that Philippe Clement’s insistence in picking the youngster – who has now made 23 appearances for the club this season – is evidence of the trust the Ibrox boss has in his talents.
“Ross has done extremely well,” said O’Neill. “He has held down a place consistently despite big competition at Rangers with their form being so good.
“They have picked up results and a lot of points with the new manager Philippe Clement and clearly he is a fan of Ross because he plays him in basically every game.
“What’s also good is that he plays him for 90 minutes a lot of the time which for a wide player is not always the case.
“I think Ross has developed a lot in the last two to three months and hopefully he brings that form and that consistency on to the international stage.
“I think a young player like Ross needs an opportunity. It didn’t look like he was going to get that opportunity at Rangers.
“Then it came a little bit out of the blue and Steven (Davis) helped him in that respect when he was interim manager and in for two games.
“That gave Ross a breakthrough and Philippe Clement kept him in the team subsequent to that.
“Every young player needs a break whether it is at club or international level and I think Ross is a great example to a lot of our young players because he grabbed it with both hands.”
Northern Ireland winger impresses at Rangers
We reckon it’s probably safe to say that going by Michael O’Neill’s latest comments, Ross McCausland is a shoo-in for the upcoming Northern Ireland squad.
Having made his debut for the country in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Finland in November, one suspects it’s going to be the beginning of a long international career.
Handed his breakthrough by Rangers legend Steven Davis during his interim stint as manager, it’s good to see young Ross McCausland flying the Ulster flag at Ibrox.
Now, the challenge is for the winger to take his game to the next level and after signing a new contract at Ibrox, it certainly appears McCausland is perfectly primed to do just that.
