Forget deal snub, I want to stay here, says McKay
Winger insists he sees his future at Ibrox despite not having put pen to paper, hears Scott Mullen
BARRIE McKAY has reassured the Rangers support he wants to stay at the club despite having knocked back a new contract offer this year.
The Ibrox winger insists the ball is in Rangers’ court as he waits for the club to come back to him with fresh terms to keep him in a light blue jersey.
McKay has a year left to run on his deal, but only a brief chat with head coach Pedro Caixinha has taken place about extending his stay.
It is an issue that the 22-year-old is relaxed about, however, and he has sought to reassure fans that he is not holding the club to ransom or attempting to engineer a way out of the Govan club after not penning the contract offered to him shortly after Caixinha’s arrival.
“My agent spoke to the club a while ago but they haven’t come back to us again since then. It’s up to them now,” said McKay, who has previously been linked with a £6 million move to Red Bull Leipzig. “When they first spoke to my agent, the previous manager was still here. And when they sent an offer, the new manager had come in.
“It took a while and since we got back to them, nothing’s happened. It can get a bit confusing, but I can’t let it get inside my head. I just need to focus on my football. This is where I want to stay. It’s a big club and despite having ups and downs, I’ve enjoyed every minute at Rangers.
“I’ve read stuff that’s said because I’ve not signed I must want away. It’s not like that, but the fans might read it like that.
That’s definitely not the case and it’s important they know the truth.
“I’m not in a rush to go anywhere. It’s not as if I want out. I want to be playing here and it’s up to me to make sure that happens.”
The winger was trusted by Caixinha’s predecessor Mark Warburton and over the last two campaigns was arguably his top performer.
Recently, though, McKay’s role in the Rangers side has not been assured. Against Partick Thistle at Ibrox and against Celtic at Hampden he got just 45 minutes, he missed out completely on the defeat to Brendan Rodgers’ side in the Premiership while he was given just 15 minutes at Firhill last weekend.
The player acknowledges it is difficult to watch from the sidelines, but said it is up to him to force himself into his new Portuguese head coach’s plans.
“Until anyone tells me different, I’ll be a Rangers player,” he said. “It’s up to me to get back in
It’s not as if I want out. I want to be playing here and it’s up to me to make sure that happens
the team and do well. It’s not a distraction for me. This is my fourth contract and these things usually take a bit of time. If you let it bother you, you’ve got a problem. You have to let your football do the talking. I want to be part of the future here. If I’m not in the manager’s plans, it’s up to me to get in them and stay there.”
McKay may have already started that process. He netted the decider against Hearts yesterday, while in those 15 minutes at Firhill he popped up with the leveller. That feeling was a far cry from the frustration at being hooked off at half time against Thistle at Ibrox four weeks earlier.
“It was a low point against Partick Thistle at Ibrox. I didn’t play as well as I could have and for any footballer it’s not great coming off at half time,” he said.
“It was brilliant for me to make an impact at Firhill and great for the team to get a last-minute win, especially after being disappointed at how we’d played.”