Ross McCrorie’s initial burst into the Rangers first-team was a breath of fresh air.
Initially brought into senior action by Pedro Caixinha, the 20-year-old prospect was thought to have a massive future in the game as a central defender.
It quickly became apparent though that his ball playing abilities made him a prime pick to progress as a defensive midfielder, gradually transitioning into that role before it was made official by the incoming Steven Gerrard, who was left furious by mismanagement of the player in the months prior to his appointment.
Under Gerrard though it’s fair to say his Ibrox career has stalled a little, to the extent that outlets like The Daily Record are now speculating he could be on the verge of an exit from Glasgow, either on a loan basis or even permanently.
Journalist Gary Ralston believes the player is now at a crossroads in his Rangers development and to be fair, he may have a point.
Despite being fit for most of the season, the 20-year-old has made just five starts in 2018/19, with his last coming against lower league Ayr United in the Scottish League Cup back in September. Another two came against no hopers FK Shkupi in the early stages of the summer when options were limited.
That leaves just two league starts for the player this season, both of which were comfortable wins against St Johnstone and St Mirren.
Why then does Gerrard clearly not fancy him in the middle of the park? The form of Ryan Jack may have something to do with it, who has played superbly for the majority of the current campaign. Adding McCrorie into the mix may make the shape of the midfield just look too defensive.
Surely though we should be investing in the youngster and developing him more, rather than giving starts and more minutes to the likes of Lassana Coulibaly, who will probably head back to Ligue 1 at the end of the season?
I’d like to see more faith being put into McCrorie personally, rather than watch his Ibrox career splutter out before it’s given a chance to get started.
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