A number of Rangers’ brightest young talents have been given an opportunity by Pedro Caixinha and Ross McCrorie could follow in their footsteps.
With Pedro Caixinha at the helm, the signs are good for Rangers’ next generation. After denied even a sniff of an opportunity under predecessor Mark Warburton, 19-year-old centre-half David Bates has already become a key player under the new manager at Ibrox.
And teenage left-back Myles Beerman, a year Bates’ junior, will also vouch for Caixinha’s trust in young players.
Therefore, fellow defender Ross McCrorie can harbour hopes of making his debut at Rangers sooner rather than later.
The Ayrshire-born Scotland youth international, who has captained Rangers at Under-20 level, stated recently in a Q&A on the academy Twitter account that he believes he is ready to play first-team football with the Glasgow giants.
And no doubt he will return from a loan spell at Scottish Championship club Dumbarton with his prospects enhanced. McCrorie has been an ever-present this season and, playing a major role in Saturday’s 2-1 win against Queen of the South, is spearheading their fight against relegation.
While Caixinha will likely bring in a number of his own players in the summer, particularly in a defence which has looked shaky all season, McCrorie’s progress away from Ibrox will not have gone unnoticed.
The progress made by both Bates (below) and Beerman in the starting XI since Caixinha’s arrival demonstrates that Caixinha is not afraid to make big decisions and throw his more inexperienced players in at the deep end, even if Beerman’s nightmare afternoon against a Patrick Roberts-inspired Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final hinted at the manager’s naivety.
However, with McCrorie impressing in the division below, it seems only a matter of time before Caixinha rewards him too with an opportunity.
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