According to a recent report by the Scottish Sun, Premiership giants Rangers are said to have rejected a £200k bid from Hibernian for the services of their versatile midfield destroyer Ross McCrorie. The report suggests that the Scottish youngster’s services were desired by the Hibs, but that Steven Gerrard’s staff were quick to dismiss the initial offer that was made. The touted fee in the region of £200k is reportedly not anywhere near enough to tempt the Light Blues to sell during the current transfer window.
Although the report has clarified that Rangers have rejected Hibernian’s £200k bid for Ross McCrorie, there seems to be a lack of clarity surrounding the midfielder’s existing position at the club. Although it has been claimed that the player himself was keen on a move to try and secure more regular playing time, the Bears are said to have been unsatisfied with the offer that had been put on the table. It has been further suggested in the report that this latest rejection by the Ibrox club means that the Scot’s dreams of a move away this summer have now effectively been flushed down the drain.
What Makes Ross McCrorie A Good Prospect?
The youngster has been a member of the Rangers academy for a while now, but it has been well over two seasons since he initially made the breakthrough into the Gers’ roster. One of the 22-year-old’s biggest selling points comes in the form of versatility, in that he has got the quality and presence of mind required to operate across a variety of positions on the pitch.
A holding-midfielder by position, the Scot is just as comfortable dropping into one of the centre-half roles, which unsurprisingly, is where he started off in his career. Moreover, the Rangers man was used as a full-back by Kenny Jackett while on loan at Portsmouth last season as well.
Although the Scot didn’t find the net during the last campaign, it’s worth considering that he spent most of it playing in the defence line. Not only were his chances to get forward and influence the tie limited, but he also had a real fight to keep his place in the side. Injuries have done little to help the midfielder flourish over recent years, but there’s no denying the quality that McCrorie possesses. A good passer of the ball in the offensive half, the 22-year-old offers strong awareness when tracking back, and is also a tidy crosser of the ball. If there’s one aspect of his game that McCrorie needs to work on, then it has to be his appalling defensive positioning.
What Is Rangers’ Current Midfield Situation?
The Gers currently boast a variety of options in the midfield area, with an entire line of back-up options available to all the regular starters. Ryan Jack, Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara have been utilised by Gerrard so far, with Steven Davis and Scott Arfield available as alternate options for the roles. McCrorie is the most inexperienced of all the players that Gerrard has at his disposal in that position, which means that a regular place in the side is unlikely in the short-term. Even more worryingly for the player, despite featuring in their pre-season friendlies prior to the Premiership, the Scot is yet to make an appearance in the league.
Rangers Have Rejected Hibernian’s £200k Bid For Ross McCrorie: Should Gerrard Keep Him?
With everything that’s assured to be on the line for the Bears in the league this season, taking any unnecessary risks in terms of team-selection will be ill-advised from a Rangers perspective. For all the quality that he has shown over the last few seasons, it must be conceded that McCrorie still has a lot of developing to do before being able to compete for a regular place in the side.
Unless massive improvements are on the horizon in the Scot’s skill-set, it’s unlikely that he’ll become a regular in this team anytime soon. However, considering the potential that he has displayed, it might not be the worst idea to hold onto the midfielder a while longer to better understand the situation.
