Mark Warburton’s Glasgow Rangers side are looking to end their poor run in the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
Rangers hero Derek Johnstone has told the Evening Times that one of the main decisions that Mark Warburton must make ahead of the Gers’ trip to Aberdeen on Sunday is whether to pick Michael O’Halloran or Barrie McKay, before offering his opinion on who he would pick out of the pair.
The Light Blues go into the clash against the Dons buoyed by the 5-0 victory in the League Cup in midweek, but also looking to end their poor league run which has seen them fail to win any of their last three in the Scottish Premiership.
Barrie McKay
And having struggled going forward this season, it appears that Warburton’s decision on who to play in the advanced positions could be crucial to their hopes of ending their wait for that victory.
With McKay and O’Halloran vying for a place on the wing, Johnstone has suggested which of the two he would select against Derek McInnes’ men.
Michael O’Halloran
“The first call is whether to go with Barrie McKay or Michael O’Halloran. You need players that are adaptable and you need to be comfortable across the front three if you are to fit into the system that Mark plays,” he told the Evening Times.
“I thought O’Halloran did very well on Tuesday night and you saw a reaction from McKay when he came on.
“He realises he has to raise his game or he could find himself out of the team. He looked the part, he was taking on men and he got a couple of assists. He will have got a lift from that.
“If I was to choose now, I would go with O’Halloran. It hasn’t been a great start to the season for McKay, even though he did play well when he came on against Queens.”
Though McKay has previously been a key man for the Light Blues due to his ability to make something happen whenever he is on the ball while O’Halloran has struggled to make an impact since moving to Ibrox, the former has been disappointing lately.
And with the 25-year-old yet to be given the chance to start in the top flight this season, following Johnstone’s advice may be something that Warburton may want to consider ahead of what promises to be a very tough test.
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