McCrorie is inspired by Wallace in captain role

RANGERS youngster Ross McCrorie last night hailed the professionalism of team-mate Lee Wallace — and insisted the Ibrox outcast is the perfect inspiration for him as he captains the Scotland Under-21s.

The midfielder was handed the armband for the first time ahead of Scot Gemmill’s side’s 3-0 win over Andorra last week.

And he will be skipper again tonight against Holland in Doetinchem in a game Scotland realistically have to avoid losing to stay in the hunt for a Euro 2019 play-off place.

He revealed he has benefited from working with former Ibrox captain Wallace, whose Rangers future is unclear after he won an appeal over disciplinary action.

‘It’s an honour to be captain,’ said McCrorie. ‘I’ve been captain for the different age groups, so getting the Under-21s tops it off.

‘The big influence for me was Lee Wallace. When I first went into the (Rangers) first team at 16 to train with them, he was the captain. He took me under his wing and always spoke to me.

‘I could see his leadership skills straight away. I took little bits from that.

‘When I first went up, I was dead quiet, a bit nervous. But when Lee spoke to me, the nerves were gone straight away. He made me feel a part of it. As a captain, there might be boys who don’t get involved so much, so you need to make sure they feel part of the group.

‘Lee is extremely professional. The way he talks, you can tell he’s an intelligent guy. He still comes to every game to cheer the boys on.’

Meanwhile, Gemmill insists Holland have upped their game from when Scotland shocked them with a 2-0 win in Paisley last year at the start of the group.

He said: ‘Holland have improved since we beat them last time. A lot their players have gone from the fringes of first-team football to being proper first-team players.

‘They’re a top team. They will just cut through you if the shape isn’t correct. It’s a huge test for the players.’