ALLAN HAS STAYER WAY TO HEAVEN
ROBBY McCRORIE hopes Allan McGregor sticks around at Rangers for another crack at the Champions League — even if it delays his own Ibrox chances.
The Livingston goalkeeper is on a season-long loan from Gers and has marvelled at McGregor’s form in this campaign.
The keeper will turn 40 midway through next season and is weighing up his options with his contract due to expire this summer.
McCrorie said: “His save in the first leg of the Slavia match was one of the best — maybe the best save — I’ve seen, certainly in recent times.
“He’s an unbelievable professional and there’s no-one better for me to learn from if I want to aspire to his heights.
“I think he’ll still be at Rangers next season. You’ve got the Champions League next year and what a place to showcase yourself again.
“You want to play football as long as you can and he’s certainly not slowing down.”
When McCrorie is eventually asked to succeed McGregor he will look back on this campaign as a major learning curve.
The Scotland Under-21 ace started the campaign as the Lions’ undoubted number one but found himself displaced by Max Stryjek following a couple of high-profile errors.
He also contracted Covid last November following international duty and McCrorie believes that if he can handle all that, he is ready for anything.
He said: “I’ve grown a lot. It’s not nice not playing, but it’s about reacting in the right way, supporting your team and your team-mates.
“I push myself to the max every day to try and get better.
“If you have aspirations of playing for top clubs, that’s what you need to have. It’s the same all over the pitch.
“Competition makes you better. I’m a believer in going in with the mindset to push your own personal standards.
“I also came back from internationals and had Covid, which wasn’t ideal either, but if I can come out of this season strong then I really feel like there are not many tougher challenges you can get. It will set me up well.”
McCrorie still has not given up on his dream of being part of Scotland’s goalkeeping pool for the upcoming European Championships.
He was named in the full squad for the first time last September for fixtures against Israel and Slovakia and it whetted his appetite to experience that level again.
Ahead of today’s visit of Hibs, McCrorie said: “If I perform well for Livingston then you never know what can happen.
“It would be amazing but I can only control what I do, the decision is out of my hands.”