Ibrox View: Gerrard must axe favourite and give Rangers summer signing a start v Aberdeen
Goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin enjoyed a steady start to life at Rangers after he arrived at Ibrox in the summer of 2020.
After starting seven of the Gers’ first eight league games of the season McLaughlin has only started two of the last six games in the Scottish Premiership.
He is also yet to start a Europa League game for the Gers with Allan McGregor proving to be Steven Gerrard’s keeper of choice.
After travelling thousands of miles with Scotland in the last two weeks and being the only one of three goalkeepers to not experience any playing time, where does this leave McLaughlin?
It seemed as if he was the replacement for 38-year-old McGregor but recently it has looked as if Gerrard is preferring McGregor between the sticks for the Gers both in the league and in Europe.
McLaughlin was benched after the 2-2 draw with Hibernian, in which the Gers conceded for the first time this season. The goals were hardly the goalkeeper’s fault and we doubt they’re why he was dropped.
The choice to drop McLaughlin for this season’s Old Firm must have come as a huge disappointment to the 33-year-old as well – playing in those games is why a lot of players move to Ibrox.
However, the former Sunderland keeper was selected ahead of McGregor for the Light Blues’ last game against Hamilton and he kept a clean sheet in the 8-0 demolition of the Accies.
The best thing Gerrard can do for McLaughlin now is to start him again against Aberdeen this weekend.
After club disappointment in recent months and national disappointment in the last two weeks, McLaughlin needs a confidence boost and the best boost any player can receive is more game time.
He has proved he is a good keeper and the Gers can count on him. He should, at the very least, be Gerrard’s keeper of choice in the league.
In other Rangers news, this Gers player was almost perfect on international duty.