Should Ross McCrorie start against Villarreal if Rangers continue to be bugged by injury concerns?
Steven Gerrard could be set to have an omission headache on his hands ahead of Thursday’s trip to El Madrigal. Ryan Jack, Gareth McAuley, Graham Dorrans, and Alfredo Morelos are all missing through injuries and suspensions. Ovie Ejaria could also miss out too if he fails to recover from a minor knock.
It could leave the Gers and mainly Gerrard with a big selection dilemma on Thursday night. One of the main areas of concern, however, is who replaces Jack and Ejaria in the midfield? Should the latter miss out, Gerrard will need two big replacements.
Lassana Coulibaly automatically gets one of those places. He was sensational against Dundee and got his second goal for the club on Saturday. Dropping him would just be ridiculous and won’t happen.
The other slot, however is up for grabs. You have to imagine, should Ejaria miss out, that Andy Halliday is the prime contender for it. He’s been a reliable performer for Gerrard since he came in the door.
Is Ross the alternative?
Then again, should the shot be given to Ross McCrorie?
This is a youngster with, quite simply, scary potential. His development into a solid defensive-midfielder has been extremely impressive, and he has the necessary attributes for Thursday night.
McCrorie has been desperate to make up for the red card he received against St Mirren on match-day two of the Premiership. The Scotland under-21 captain hasn’t had much game-time so far this season, and needs to find some soon.
Added to that, he’s fresh off of a huge week with his national side. Being called up for the under-21s is a great honour for the youngster, but to captain them to two victories over Andorra and Holland is incredible.
He’s starting to earn his way into contention for more first-team opportunities at Rangers, but he needs backed by the manager.
Halliday may still be the preferred option, but Gerrard couldn’t go wrong with McCrorie. He’s on a massive high and played some really good football with his national team. He looks sharp and ready to take advantage of any chances that comes his way.
The Rangers manager may feel Thursday night is too big a match to just throw him in. If that’s the case, hopefully McCrorie gets his chance sooner rather than later.
