There were a lot of positives to take out of Rangers comeback win over Kilmarnock, however, there will have been a few too many negatives too – the performance of Ross McCausland being one of them.
The 20-year old will only be able to use his age as an excuse for so long but when he has Oscar Cortes on the other side looking a constant threat, it doesn’t look good for him.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement is clearly a fan but, if Ross McCausland wants to have a long term future at Rangers, these are the games that he needs to make a difference in.
Rangers need to have a rethink with Ross McCausland
Other than one good run in the first five minutes, he was anonymous.
What was worrying – and I don’t want to use this word – is that it looked like he was hiding.
There were no runs inside, no link up play, no other attempts to get past his marker and, to make matters worse, he was just as bad out of possession – a 3/10 was generous for his Kilmarnock display.
Clement has to see that McCausland – who was linked with Newcastle United – has been struggling lately and that, even with the current injuries, that he needs a break from the spotlight.
The Northern Ireland international looks to have a higher ceiling than Scott Wright in terms of technical ability but there has to be an end product or the only way will be down if he leaves Ibrox.
Working hard out of possession isn’t enough in its own right to just a place in Rangers attack.
You just need to look at Cortes and the injured Abdallah Sima to see that it is capable to do that, and contribute at the sharp end.
Young players are always more prone to dips in form, and Ross McCausland has done enough to suggest that he could, at least, be a useful squad option in the future.
Many more nights like the one he had against Kilmarnock though and he will join the cast of thousands who promised much, but delivered little.
