Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson believes the emergence of goalkeeper Robby McCrorie can save Mick Beale’s side a lot of money during the upcoming summer transfer window.
If the Ayrshire-born 25-year-old had not missed most of the Beale era through injury, it’s tempting to wonder where McCrorie would be right here, right now.
The Rangers academy graduate has been a bit of a revelation since being handed a belated run of games in the starting XI, keeping clean sheets against both Aberdeen and Celtic. And, during Saturday’s thumping 3-0 victory over Old Firm rivals Celtic at Ibrox, McCrorie showcased a proactive streak that might just make him the perfect fit for a coach who prefers to dominate possession and press high up the pitch.
Ferguson, meanwhile, believes that McCrorie has ‘shown enough’ to suggest he can be relied upon to step into Allan McGregor’s shoes full-time. His emergence, the former Ibrox skipper adds, may also have the Glasgow giants reconsidering the need to bring in a new first-choice shot-stopper over the summer.
Will Robby McCrorie become Rangers’ new no 1 goalkeeper?
“Why not give him the chance? He’s shown enough to me that he can be Rangers’ number one,” Ferguson tells Go Radio.
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“Do you go out and spend ‘X’ amount on a keeper? Or do you get a really good keeper on a free transfer and pay a huge amount in salary?
“I think he’s shown that he can be a top goalkeeper for Rangers. And he’s 25 years of age, he’s not a young kid. Give him the opportunity because I think he deserves it.”
Freddie Woodman of Preston North End and Norwich City’s Angus Gunn would both cost Rangers eight-figure sums, while new reports suggest that Jack Butland’s £35,000-a-week wages may be a stumbling block to Beale’s hopes of bringing the former England international north of the border.
Rangers, according to the Daily Mail, could turn their attention to 23-year-old Ivor Pandur instead. The Fortuna Sittard youngster, watched by the Gers during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven, would be far more affordable than any of the club’s other goalkeeping targets, and would maybe not arrive at Ibrox demanding a place in Beale’s XI.
“(McCrorie) has been training alongside a guy who has handled pressure his full career, Allan McGregor. He’s learned off one of the best, no doubt about it,” Ferguson adds.
“And he’s handled a big pressurised game at the weekend (against Celtic). If he’s injury free, give him the opportunity. I love seeing Scottish people being given the opportunity.”
‘A high standard’
Beale was full of praise for McCrorie after that Celtic hammering. Steven Gerrard’s old assistant, meanwhile, insists that McCrorie is also ‘in my thinking’ for next season.
“I think he will only get better with time,” Beale tells the Glasgow Times. “He’s 100 per cent in my thinking.
“Listen, we are going to lose one goalkeeper because he is out of contract. We are not in the job of signing bad ones. We’ve had Allan and Jon (McLaughlin), two Scottish internationals, and Robbie has been in the group.
“He has been injured for four of the six months I’ve been here. But he always knew he would get an opportunity. All he can do is keep playing as he did today. I think that’s four clean sheets on the bounce as a Rangers first-team keeper so that’s not a bad record to upkeep. He has set a high standard for himself.”