McBURNIE DREAMS OF RANGERS SWITCH:
Bluenose Oli’s desperate to be the main man for his boyhood heroes & country
OLI McBURNIE wants the best birthday present possible – the chance to help Steven Gerrard take Rangers back to the top of Scottish football.
The Scotland striker turns 22 today and is set for makeor-break talks on his future as he mulls over a transfer from managerless Swansea.
McBurnie touches down in the UK today and will head straight into talks with his representatives, with a move to his boyhood favourites high on his wishlist.
He won his fourth cap for Scotland in the 1-0 defeat in Mexico and was unfortunate not to help Alex McLeish’s men grab a draw they would scarcely have deserved with a second-half header that cracked the post.
The Leeds-born frontman admits he’d be cracking open champagne instead if he landed a move to the club he has long coveted.
He said: “I have one year left at Swansea but with no manager at the club it is up in the air at the minute.
“I was getting this tour out of the way and when I return I will speak to the relevant people and see what happens. Linked with Rangers every week? Tell me about it – my tweeting probably doesn’t help.
“I am a Rangers fan and said recently that whatever happens I want Steven Gerrard to do as well as he can. I want Rangers to get back to where they belong.
“Whether that’s with me there or not, I just want them to get back to where they should be.
“I’ve always said I would love to play for Rangers. It wasn’t as close as everyone was saying in January. I had three definite options in the end and Rangers were not one of them.
“My hopes for next season are to play first-team football every week at the highest level possible.
“My recent loan spell at Barnsley was my first taste of playing at a good level every week and I really enjoyed it. I scored nine in 16 games and was Player of the Season.
“I don’t want to go back to being a bit-part player. I want to be the main man.”
McBurnie also dreams of hitting the big time for his country as his elusive wait for his first goal at international level continues.
He hit the post of the goal in which Diego Maradona claimed his infamous “Hand of God” opener for Argentina against England in the quarter-final of the World Cup in 1986.
The 400 visiting Tartan Army sang the praises of the little Argentine magician on Saturday night as McBurnie cursed the woodwork, which was also cracked twice by the Mexicans in their 1-0 win.
He said: “I caught it really well and as soon as it left my head I thought it was in.
“I was disappointed not to score but I am not going to let it affect me. I will learn from it. I want to be Scotland number nine one day and games like this will help me get there.”
McBurnie was given the thankless task as solo striker of channel hopping and chasing lost causes.
But he said: “Most of the boys were breathing hard in the warm-up so we knew it would be a tough shift.
“With the humidity and crowd it’s one of the most difficult environments I’ve played in.
“It was one of those games as a striker when you know you have to run yourself into the ground and might not get as much of the ball.
“It was more about the defensive side. They created so many chances and we had to dig in.”
Scotland failed to score against Peru and Mexico and an effort in each half against the Mexicans by Callum Paterson and Chris Cadden were the only two shots on target over 180 minutes.
The Scots never lacked commitment but there was an absence of quality that could see the international careers of several cut short or ended all together.
Nevertheless, McBurnie insists the 10-day trip was worth the while and added: “We’ve had a great team bonding session. I didn’t know a lot of the boys before but I have learned a lot.
“You never know how many caps you are going to win. For me it’s been a really proud time.”
Linked to Gers every week? Tell me about it – my tweeting probably doesn’t help OLI McBURNIE