McCrorie: I joined Portsmouth because I want to play more
RANGERS loan star Ross McCrorie has revealed he moved to Portsmouth to get game time after Steven Gerrard advised him to go,
The Fratton Park side have snapped up the
21-year-old, who made 30 appearances for the Ibrox side last season, on loan.
McCrorie (inset) has impressed for Pompey in pre-season friendlies and remains desperate to make it at Rangers. And he revealed how a chat with Gerrard persuaded him to move to England.
He said: “Steven Gerrard spoke to me and basically I told him I’m 21 and need to play week in, week out. That’s what I got last year, it’s still a good marker, but there’s a lot of competition.
“I was told I could stay and play the same amount of games, but for me that wasn’t satisfying.
“I want to play regularly and show people what I can do and I didn’t think I’d get that kind of opportunity this season at Rangers. It was a case of I could have stayed if I was satisfied doing the same as I did last year, but I wasn’t. I want to be playing as many games as I can.
“I have that drive to go and further my career, play bigger games, showcase what I can do and obviously help Pompey win promotion this year.
“It was a hard decision for me to come down because I am a Rangers fan and it would be fantastic if we could win the league this year, but I’m thinking of myself as a football player.
McCrorie added: “Deep down I want to stay at Rangers, but if I only play 30-odd games it’s not going to be best for my development. Maybe I impressed the Rangers fans last season, but I’ve got to look out for my development as a player, making myself a better footballer.”