Mccrorie delighted to join the Dons

New Aberdeen signing Ross Mccrorie admits he had to leave his beloved Rangers for the sake of his career.

The midfielder was hailed as a future Ibrox great by former boss Pedro Caixinha after being handed his firstteam debut in September 2017.

Current manager Steven Gerrard also spoke about the Scotland Under-21 international with excitement when he took over a year later.

Despite playing a major role during the former Liverpool skipper’s maiden term in the Light Blues hot seat, Mccrorie found himself languishing beneath Ryan Jack, Steven Davis, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Scott Arfield in Gerrard’s midfield pecking order.

Now 22 and having spent last year on loan at Portsmouth, the boyhood Rangers fan admits he has no further time to waste as he hopes to relaunch his career at Pittodire under Derek Mcinnes’s tutelage.

Mccrorie, who initially joins the Dons on a season-long loan but has agreed a three-year contract which will begin when he makes his switch permanent next summer, said: “At the age I am, I just want to be playing regular firstteam football. That’s why I told Rangers I wanted to leave. It’s for the good of my career that I had to leave, to develop.

“I feel Aberdeen is the right place for me to improve myself. It’s a massive club, so I was flattered when I heard the club was interested in me. I spoke to the gaffer and when he explained about the ambition here, that made it a no-brainer.

“I’m really happy I will join on a permanent deal after this season. It’s a huge club. There’s a lot of history around with the club’s success in European football as well. Everything the gaffer said was right for me and I felt immediately as if this was the place for me to move my game on.

“What I liked about the gaffer is that he knew exactly how I played. I can play different positions, but I am more or less a centre midfielder. Last season I was at Portsmouth and I played right-back. At Rangers, over the last couple of seasons I have played in centre midfield. Being able to play a few different positions can help out the team and the gaffer and it gives him a few different options.”

Mccrorie is available for tomorrow’s rearranged trip to St Johnstone but it is Sunday’s Pittodrie clash with Livingston and twin brother Robby which is already jumping off the fixture list. The new Don said: “It could be the first time we have played against each other.”

Scotland Under-21 international Ross Mccrorie is moving to Aberdeen from Rangers in a bid to kickstart his career.