Rangers’ dispute with SPFL over their ‘controversial‘ voting process is making the headlines for obvious reasons but, at the same time, the future of their fringe stars are being decided gradually before the closure of the current campaign. Several players are out of contract this summer and one of them, though impressive on loan, has been asked to find a new club once his Ibrox deal expires.
According to Blackpool Gazette, on-loan Jak Alnwick is not in the Gers’ plan and therefore, allowed to part ways on permanent terms after three-and-a-half forgettable years.
A Promising Prospect Who Never Fulfilled His Potential
The 26-year-old was brought in from Port Vale by the former Bears boss Mark Warburton to challenge and cover Wes Foderingham between the sticks. However, the custodian had only 11 appearances before Steven Gerrard’s arrival, and Rangers’ decision to bring veteran Allan McGregor back to his boyhood club sent Alnwick further down the pecking order.
The keeper first came to the limelight as a 21-year-old during his Newcastle United days when he was introduced as a half-time substitute in place of the injured Rob Elliot. The rookie Englishman made five crucial saves that afternoon to secure a momentous 2-1 win at St James’ Park.
Despite representing his nation in the youth ranks, Alnwick never managed to make it to the top division and spent his time in the lower leagues of England even after joining the Light Blues as an understudy to their former ‘number 1′. His current spell at Blackpool received plaudits from the fans as he justified the first-team status before injuring his arm during the Tangerines’ Boxing Day defeat to Accrington Stanley.
Rangers’ Current Status Between The Stick
While Rangers’ call must have boosted newly-appointed Blackpool chief Neil Critchley, Gerrard should look to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer to compete with McGregor. Foderingham, too, is expected to ply his trade elsewhere for gametime which, therefore, would leave the gaffer with Andy Firth as the only other option.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Robbie McCrorie made a lot of strides through the youth ranks in recent years. He spent his time (on loan) in the lower leagues of Scotland before joining Premiership side Livingston in January. There he featured eight times before the suspension of the game in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and this experience, though important, is not enough yet to challenge McGregor throughout the upcoming season.
A season-long loan next season in the top tier would be beneficial for McCrorie before replacing McGregor in the long run. The latter, 38, is at the twilight of his career and Gerrard thus needs to deal with the situation sensibly to avoid any unforeseen crisis going forward.
