Pedro Caixinha was thrilled by the performance of teenage centre-back Ross McCrorie on his Rangers debut against Partick Thistle.
Hindsight doesn’t reflect well on Sir Alex Ferguson claiming that Manchester United defender Phil Jones could be one of the best players in the history of his illustrious club immediately after lifting his final Premier League title in 2013.
Since then, Jones has struggled to live up to such huge expectations, exacerbated by his legendary former manager’s frequently repeated comments.
And it’s impossible not to be reminded of that when Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha predicted 19-year-old Ross McCrorie “is going to be one of the best centre halves in history, not just for this club but for this country”, per the Scottish Sun.
The 19-year-old made his first-team bow in Rangers’ 3-1 extra time victory over Partick Thistle in the Betfred Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday and certainly impressed – so much so that Caixinha says he has no qualms about throwing him into Saturday’s Old Firm derby clash with Celtic.
Bruno Alves, the veteran Portuguese centre-half limped off against Partick and is a doubt for the first Old Firm clash of the season. And, if McCrorie impresses, the grizzled defender could find his place under threat from a player 16 years his junior.
The 2016 European Championship winner is an undoubted class act but there remains a concern that Rangers supporters have not seen the best from him so far. He was arguably culpable for both goals in the 2-2 league draw with Partick on Friday.
And it is certainly intriguing to note that McCrorie looked to have formed a better partnership wuth Fabio Cardoso than his compatriot Alves has throughout the entire season so far.
Caixinha is not afraid to drop big names so you wonder what an impressive performance against Celtic from the teenager would mean for Rangers’ most eye-catching summer signing.
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