Ovie Ejaria’s exit from Ibrox may just have opened the door for the patient Ross McCrorie.
The Scotland Under-21 captain today made his second competitive start in-a-row for the club against Hamilton. It’s also the first time this term when he’s started in back-to-back contests for Rangers. He also started the clash against Rapid Vienna on Thursday night.
Such is the competition in the midfield slots at Ibrox, McCrorie has been extremely limited this season. So far, he’s made 14 appearances for the campaign, which isn’t impressive given the Ibrox club have played 33 competitive matches already this season.
Instead, the likes of Lassana Coulibaly and Ryan Jack have been preferred to McCrorie alongside Ejaria. Yet, the Liverpool loan star left the club this past week after feeling “unsettled” with life at Ibrox.
It’s not for anybody else to say how Ejaria should feel, but it was the correct decision to leave the club if he believed he couldn’t handle the pressure. What that’s done, however, is open up a huge gap in the squad.
Rangers remain stacked in the midfield
Fortunately for Rangers, the engine room is the only place in the squad where they’re totally overstacked. This has meant that McCrorie has been able to slot in and get his chance despite having to be patient all season.
There were suggestions that Greg Docherty could make a comeback in January. Gerrard, however, needs to make sure the youngster gets the games he needs as opposed to bringing him back without guarantees. Docherty is making waves with Shrewsbury Town, and deserves the chance to see that project through.
Many seem to have forgotten just how influental and big a talent McCrore is. He was the shining light in a woeful season for Rangers last season. Switching from a centre-back to a defensive midfielder, McCrorie has shown terrific maturity and patience.
Granted, Gerrard may want a more attacking alternatve to replace Ejaria. The fact is, however, that trust has been place in McCrorie recently. Nobody can take that away from him, and it looks as though he’s going to get the chances he’s been waiting on all season.
