Pedro Caixinha certainly ran a risk when handing Rangers centre-back Ross McCrorie his Old Firm debut in just his second league appearance.
Myles Beerman had only played three times for Rangers before Pedro Caixinha dunked him in at the deep end for an Old Firm clash with Celtic. At least that’s two games more than Ross McCrorie had on his CV when he was picked to start alongside Fabio Cardoso when the champions came to Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.
And while both youngsters were on the wrong end of defeats, McCrorie has actually enhanced his reputation after a 2-0 home loss while Beerman, who was torn apart by Patrick Roberts in a 5-1 thumping, has barely been seen in the first-team since.
Caixinha certainly piled unnecessary pressure on the 19-year-old centre-half when he quipped that McCrorie could become one of the greatest defenders in the history of Rangers and Scottish football following an assured debut against Partick Thistle in midweek (Scottish Sun).
And while we are still about 5 years away from figuring out whether Caixinha’s prediction was accurate, there is no doubting that McCrorie possesses not only the natural talent but the remarkable maturity to step up to the senior side with ease.
Proving a point
“I thought young Ross had a cracking game for his first Old Firm,” Rangers right-back James Tavernier told The Scotsman. “He didn’t look out of place.
“Today he showed great signs of being a promising young player. As long as he keeps his head down and works hard, he’ll be a cracking centre back.”
McCrorie certainly overshadowed some of Rangers’ big name summer signings, Graham Dorrans, Carlos Pena and Ryan Jack in particular, as Celtic cruised to a 2-0 victory that was more clear-cut than the scoreline suggests.
Unlike Beerman, McCrorie came through his baptism of fire unscathed.
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