IBROX STARLET McCRORIE TIPPED TO HANDLE THE OLD FIRM HYPE
AT 19, Ross McCrorie will need broad shoulders to cope with the weight of rising expectation. The young defender’s first-team Rangers debut as a late replacement for Bruno Alves ended in an unusually bold prediction from Pedro Caixinha.
‘Ross is going to be one of the best centre-halves in history,’ said the Ibrox boss, ‘not just for this club, but for this country.’
A 44-minute walk-on appearance offered promise. Getting to grips with Conor Sammon in a way Alves and Fabio Cardoso found difficult to master, the buzz around McCrorie has been slowly building, acquiring new urgency as Rangers utilised extra-time to beat Partick Thistle and reach the last four of the Betfred League Cup.
‘I think Ross has got a massive future,’ said goalkeeper Jak Alnwick. ‘If he keeps doing what he’s doing and stays on the right path, I don’t see why he can’t be whatever he wants to be. He is a composed centre-half, is incredible with both feet and, for his age, he’s very mature.
‘You could see he dealt with Conor Sammon, who is one of the big men in this league, quite well. I don’t see why he won’t be up there at the top in the years to come.’
McCrorie earned a place on the Rangers bench at the expense of Danny Wilson.
Lest anyone forget, Wilson made his Champions League debut for the Ibrox club at the age of 17, followed swiftly by his first game against Celtic.
Moving quickly to Liverpool for £2million, what promised to be a glittering career stalled. The path to greatness predicted for young McCrorie is strewn with unexpected obstacles, yet Alnwick sees enough maturity in the teenager to compare him to a former Newcastle team-mate.
‘I have played with quite a few people and I am not going to compare him with anyone but Fabricio Coloccini, who I played with at Newcastle, is an international centre-half. In terms of the way they play, they are similar. They are good on the ball, can use both feet, they are calm.
‘They are a million miles apart in terms of where they are at now. But if he keeps working hard there is no reason why he can’t be up there with the qualities that he’s got.
‘That is why these lads are at the club. They’re not at Rangers just to be a spare part. They’re here because they are good young players. They are ready to step in. I am guessing that’s why he has been around the building.’
With captain Lee Wallace already out, the losses of Alves and fullback Declan John in the final stages of normal time against Partick added further to Caixinha’s worries.
Yet the Rangers manager is a pragmatist. If Alves fails to recover from a calf problem, McCrorie will play. If he really is destined to become a Rangers and Scotland great, there is surely a case for fielding him before a fit Cardoso.
‘He will have been learning a lot from Bruno,’ added Alnwick. ‘I have got no doubt that if he does have to play, he will be fine.
‘Day to day, he is quite vocal in training. As a lad, he is quite quiet. But when you have a conversation with him, he is very mature for his age. ‘I haven’t known him long but I wouldn’t have said he was still a teenager. I am sure he’s going to keep taking everything in his stride. Hopefully he can be a big thing.’ Alnwick is less certain of his own first-team status. Wes Foderingham’s deputy has acquired the role of the ‘League Cup keeper’ — the man who comes in for four or five appearances a season for some game-time. Yet a string of fine saves against Thistle suggested the Englishman has more to offer than that. ‘I don’t pick the team,’ he shrugged. ‘Wes has been excellent for the past two years. He’s a top goalkeeper. ‘I have just got to do what I can do in the games that I get. I have just got to do what I can for the team. That is what I tried to do on Tuesday night. ‘It isn’t a personal thing for me. It is about winning the competition and getting a trophy for Rangers.’ The likelihood is that Alnwick won’t be seen again in first-team action until the last four, with Foderingham signing a contract extension to 2020 yesterday being a clear sign of Caixinha’s faith in his No 1.
‘That is what the manager has said,’ acknowledged Alnwick. ‘But, again, I don’t pick the team. It is what I’m hoping for. Obviously the manager has spoken about this before and has said what he’s said. Hopefully, I have impressed enough to stay in the team.’
Carlos Pena may harbour similar thoughts after marking his first start with his first goal at Firhill.
Placed on a special training programme to get him fit, the Mexican has yet to justify his £2.5m transfer fee and large wage, yet Alnwick sees promising signs.
‘I thought he was excellent,’ said the goalkeeper. ‘It has been hard for him coming over here. It is a total culture shock. He has had to learn a new language.
‘But he is funny. He doesn’t speak a lot of English but he is always laughing, always smiling around the changing room.
‘It was nice to see him get a goal the other night. I thought he helped us. He put in a solid display on his first start.’