A surprise new deal for Rangers fringe player Andy Firth has dropped a hint about Robby McCrorie’s short-term Ibrox future.
Firth had looked likely to be released in the summer, but a one-year contract extension was confirmed on Thursday night, despite the 24-year-old only playing nine minutes of first-team football since arriving in Glasgow in January 2019.
The deal was welcomed by many supporters, given that the keeper has something of a cult hero status.
Firth’s extension will be part of a wider plan for the goalkeeping unit, and it gives an insight into the club’s intentions with McCrorie.
The 23-year-old has long been seen as a future Rangers no.1 and he’s contracted to the club until 2023.
However, he’s still yet to make a first-team appearance, with the Gers preferring to send him out on a number of loan spells to build up senior experience before he’s brought into the fold.
The Scotland youth international started with a stint in SPFL League Two with Berwick Rangers and has made his way up through the divisions.
He’s now turning out for Premiership club Livingston and has made 18 appearances in all competitions this season.
That constitutes good progress but it seems Steven Gerrard feels that with Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin both contracted until the end of next season, there’s no point in having McCrorie at Ibrox just to be the third choice.
Therefore, Firth has been retained as emergency cover so that the Academy graduate can head out elsewhere again to build up more experience.
McCrorie himself may be a little frustrated by the prospect of a fifth consecutive campaign out on loan, but it looks to be the best option for him given the continued presence of McGregor and McLaughlin, and by the end of next season, he should have well over 100 senior appearances to his name.
In other news, a strong RangersTV lineup has been confirmed for Sunday’s Premiership fixture against Celtic at Ibrox.
