Former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton believes that Robby McCrorie will be the no.1 at the club when Alan McGregor retires.
That is despite the fact that Jon McLaughlin was the man between the sticks at the start of the campaign for the Gers.
McLaughlin started each of the club’s first 11 matches of the season, not including the Scottish League Cup, but after a ‘howler’ of a performance in the Old Firm derby, he soon lost his place.
McGregor has since been restored to the starting XI but at 40 it is likely the veteran will retire when his contract expires at the end of the season.
McLaughlin could be in line to succeed him with his deal running until 2024, however having recently signed a new three-year contract Hutton feels that McCrorie could well be the man to take the gloves and has insisted that McLaughlin will have to fight to regain his place.
He told Football Insider:
“It is not that long ago that he was number one.
“Due to form and different things, a little niggly injury, he is not anymore. This is what happens at big clubs.
“When you have Allan McGregor breathing down your neck it is going to be hard to keep hold of the number one shirt.
“Of course he will be trying every day to impress and get back in, much like Allan was. You have to kind of bide your time.
“The fact of the matter is that Robbie McCrorie has just signed a new deal.
“So you would like to think he is possibly going to be the future moving forward. He is going to have to have a say in it as well as some point in time.
“As long as Allan McGregor is in the form that he is in at the moment, he [McLaughlin] is not going to dislodge him.“
TIF Thoughts on Hutton’s comments…
Is McLaughlin good enough to be no.1?Yes
No
|
McLaughlin, now 35, is a veteran in his own right but his chances of becoming the club’s first-choice may be lost.
A 6.5 average match rating (SofaScore) means only Glen Kamara, John Souttar and Charlie McCann have performed at a lower standard this season for Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the Scottish Premiership.
Meanwhile. after loan spells at Berwick, Greenock Morton, Queen of the South and Livingston (Transfermarkt), McCrorie has been kept at Ibrox for each of the past two seasons.
However, he hasn’t featured since last August and despite penning a new deal has rarely been in the matchday squad this term so it remains to be seen whether the 24-year-old is the long-term successor to McGregor or whether the club will look to invest in a new shot-stopper.