Rangers player may have started final game v Hertha Berlin after January exit update
Robbie McCrorie may have started his final game for Rangers against Hertha Berlin after his brother urged him to quit Ibrox in the January transfer window.
Ross McCrorie, who was a product of the Rangers academy before quitting for Aberdeen and eventually moving to English side Bristol City, has reportedly told his brother to quit in search of playing time. [Sunday Mail, 7 January, page 47]
Since the arrival of Jack Butland in the summer, McCrorie is still yet to feature in a competitive game this season, and after being thrown into the starting XI for the friendly clash with Hertha Berlin, this may be his last game.
The friendly during Rangers’ winter training camp in La Manga will provide McCrorie with a final chance to impress his boss and earn a starting place, but with the form Butland has shown since he arrived in Glasgow, he is unlikely to be displaced.
Butland has been recognised as the most impressive performer at Ibrox so far this season, having arrived for free in the summer during a wave of uninspiring additions, and has stood out as the main man under Philippe Clement’s guidance.
Ross has already seen the benefits of leaving Ibrox in search of more opportunities, impressing enough with Aberdeen to earn himself a £2million [Daily Mail, 6 June] move to the English Championship, and will want to see his brother follow suit.
Robbie, meanwhile, has failed to move up from his backup status at Ibrox despite recognition that he should be good enough to start regularly for a decent side, possibly even for Scotland with the European Championships quickly approaching in the summer.
The allure of earning himself a starting place at the Euros, and temptation from his brother to follow the path he laid out previously, could push McCrorie into looking for a move away from Glasgow in the January transfer window, regardless of his performance today.
In other Rangers news, a star player has returned to training.