McKay has arguably looked much better during his last couple of appearances for Glasgow Rangers.
Former Rangers winger Ted McMinn has suggested that he could sense that Barrie McKay was lacking confidence during the early stages of the campaign, the Evening Times reports.
McKay was a key man for Mark Warburton’s side during their run to the second tier title last season, but often looked to be out of form during the first few months back in the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers’ Barrie McKay (R) in action with Livingston’s Jackson Longridge
But with the 21-year-old giving major indications that he is starting to rediscover his best form – he contributed an assist in the win over Aberdeen and score the clinching goal in the victory against Hearts – McMinn has suggested what may have led to the dip at the beginning of the campaign.
“I think he is a fantastic talent,” he said, as reported by the Evening Times. “The goal that sticks out is the one against Celtic last season but he has had a number of good games for Rangers.
Barrie McKay celebrates with James Tavernier
“For a winger, confidence is so important because you need that belief to take people on. I watched him at the start of the season and he seemed to want to go back all the time.
“That isn’t someone that is playing with confidence. As soon as you get the ball as a winger, your first thought should be to take on the defender. He wasn’t doing that often enough.”
With the Light Blues currently the lowest scorers of any team in the top four by some way, Warburton will surely need all of his creative players to step up over the coming months to ensure that they create enough opportunities for the strikers that will enable them to establish themselves as Celtic’s nearest challengers.
And with McKay putting in two of his best displays against their two biggest rivals for that position, it appears that the youngster is now ready to step up to the plate.
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