OPINION
Rangers must pull out all the stops to re-sign Barrie McKay.
Steven Gerrard is the ideal manager to coax the best from the attacking midfielder who has magic in his boots and the ability to design the play for the new-look team.
McKay was binned in the summer of 2017 in one of many catastrophic judgements from Pedro Caixinha, who didn’t fancy the diminutive dazzler and frozen him out of the first team before offloading him to Nottingham Forest for £500,000.
The one-time Scotland international initially thrived at the City Ground, scoring fives times and assisting seven other goals in the first half of last season.
But the departure of Mark Warburton and David Weir, and the arrival of another Iberian martinet in Aitor Karanka meant the cold shoulder again for McKay.
He is now playing regularly again at Swansea City following his transfer in the most recent window, but admitted his heart is pulling him back to Ibrox.
Asked about a possible Rangers return, McKay told the Glasgow Evening Times: “If, later on in my career, it came back up I would seriously think about going back. At the time I did leave Rangers, it was the same as Forest, I never really had the choice.
“It was obviously difficult to leave. I first came through as a young boy and then they brought in players and I found myself out on loan. I got myself back and became a regular but then quickly found myself out of the picture again.
“It was tough to take. It is difficult for any footballer when you go from being first choice to not really playing at all. It can be mentally tough but I think it has helped me a lot and it will help me deal with things in my career.”
McKay’s Ibrox vow is intriguing on many counts.
He clearly feels he has unfinished business at his boyhood club and where he made his name.
Rangers are also crying out for a playmaker who can provide consistent end product and McKay’s record of 20 goals and 39 assists from 14o appearances for the club before he left aged 22 demonstrate his calibre.
With his best years to come, he would be a brilliant signing for the Glasgow giants, especially if they could pull it off next year. It’s a no-brainer.