Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers lost 2-0 to Celtic last month in Ross McCrorie’s full Premiership debut.
Rangers ace Ross McCrorie has revealed to The Sunday Post that he received a pre-match phonecall from Nacho Novo prior to the Celtic defeat last month.
An injury to veteran centre-back Bruno Alves saw Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha give the 19-year-old his full debut in the biggest fixture of them all in Scotland.
There were rumours of his imminent spot in the first XI in the days leading up to the clash but McCrorie was arguably the Gers’ best player on a day which saw Caixinha’s side 2-0 to their bitter Glasgow rivals.
Novo knows a thing or two about the white-hot atmosphere in an Old Firm derby after spending six years at Ibrox until 2010.
And the young defender reveals that the Spanish striker phoned him before the encounter to offer his advice.
“Kenny Miller spoke to me before the Old Firm game, and I even had a phone call the night before the game from Nacho Novo,” he told The Sunday Post.
“So everyone chipped in and helped me. Nacho just told me to stay calm and enjoy it. It’s the biggest rivalry in the world.
“I know Nacho because he comes into training at Rangers sometimes, and has a chat with me.”
McCrorie was a little less impressive the following week in the 4-1 win at Hamilton, in which he conceded a penalty, and it remains to be seen whether he starts Friday’s trip to St Johnstone.
Caixinha is not struggling for centre-back options any longer following the returns of Danny Wilson and Alves, but the youngster should expect to remain in matchday squads at the very least.
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