Rangers first-team players will be dropped to reserves squad for clash v Airdrieonians
David McCallum has confirmed to the media that some first-team players will be dropped to the Rangers Under-21 team to face Airdrieonians in the SPFL Trust Trophy on 7 November.
The Rangers U21 manager has claimed the quality of the players with first-team experience that will feature for his side could make the difference and will be clear to see in the clash.
This came as a call to fans to attend the game and support the team on Tuesday night as they look to advance to the next round of the tournament with hopes of winning silverware.
McCallum was speaking to the media in his press conference on 6 November, as shared by the Rangers B & Academy Twitter account, as he revealed: “The players that will play tomorrow night, some players have played first-team level and you will see the quality of those players so make sure to come along and support the boys.”
A chance to progress
With the involvement of first-team players in McCallum’s B side, it will give the squad a boost in their chances of reaching the next round of the SPFL Trust Trophy, with a view to going on and winning the competition.
Usually, first-team players being involved with an academy game will be in aid of finding fitness or recovering from injury, and with Philippe Clement’s new focus on driving improvement in his players’ fitness, that will likely be the reason for tonight’s selection.
While it would be a difficult task to expect the academy side to win a tournament against sides as high up in the standings as the Scottish Championship, some first-team involvement will certainly help their progress.
There has been somewhat of an injury crisis in the Rangers first-team squad, with several players missing games through different knocks and pulls, but this game may provide them with a competitive outing to get back up to match speed.
In other Rangers news, a key Sparta Prague player will be missing for the Europa League clash.