Why £4.3m Rangers target should leave Ross McCrorie scared already

Glasgow Rangers went into the summer transfer window knowing that they would need to recruit a new right-back to replace captain James Tavernier.

The English full-back’s contract at Ibrox is officially due to expire this week, after ten seasons in Glasgow, and the club have already moved to sign a new player in his position.

Ross McCrorie returned to the Gers on a permanent deal from Bristol City, five years after leaving the club to sign for Aberdeen, and has taken the number two shirt.

The two-cap Scotland international is not a natural right-back, though, as he came through the ranks at Rangers as a defensive midfielder and he has played more games as a centre-back than at right-back in his career.

He was converted into a wing-back or right-back during his time at Bristol City under Liam Manning, and that could be where he has been signed to primarily cover for the Light Blues.

Rangers are pushing to sign American defender

However, that does not mean that the versatile Scottish star will be the only right-back option signed by the club, as they look to replace Tavernier in the coming weeks.

In fact, the Scottish Premiership giants are reportedly looking into a move for a star who would arrive at Ibrox as an even better option than McCrorie for Derek McInnes.

According to reports on the continent, Glasgow Rangers are one of the teams in the race to sign Westerlo right-back Bryan Reynolds in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that both Stade Rennes and the Light Blues are pushing to convince the USA international to sign for them, as they both look to bolster their defensive options.

He adds that Westerlo, who sold Tuur Rommens to Rangers for £3m in January, are expected to rake in a fee of up to £4.3m for the 25-year-old defender this summer.

Tavolieri reveals that Reynolds is now expected to make a firm decision on his future in the coming days, and the Gers will be hoping that they have done enough to convince him to make the move to Ibrox.

What this means for Ross McCrorie at Rangers

McInnes will want competition in every position and Dujon Sterling’s history of injury problems means that signing two right-backs to replace Tavernier could be a smart plan.

As is usually the case in football, though, there is likely to be a more or less defined first and second-choice in the right-back position, as McInnes may want continuity in his starting XI where possible.

With this in mind, Rangers pushing to sign Reynolds from Westerlo could come as bad news to McCrorie, as the American star could be the number one option at right-back for the Scottish boss if he signs for the club.

The USA international’s performances in the Pro League were more impressive than McCrorie’s were in the Championship for Bristol City, particularly with his defensive contributions.

Reynolds won a much higher percentage of his duels on the deck and in the air in the Belgian top-flight, which suggests that he would be a far more dominant out-and-out defender for the Scottish giants in the full-back position.

Neither player is likely to replicate Tavernier’s goalscoring output, because he scored 144 goals in 565 matches in all competitions for the club, but they did both score at least two times in the league.

Reynolds also created more high-quality chances for his teammates from a right-back position, registering more xA in the same number of appearances in the league, which suggests that he would be more effective as a creative threat, on top of being superior defensively.

Whilst this suggests that McCrorie could end up being a back-up right-back at Ibrox if the club secure a deal for the Westerlo star, that does not mean that the Scotland international will struggle for starts.

As aforementioned, the 28-year-old defender is a versatile star who can play in a multitude of positions, which means that he could fill in across the pitch for McInnes, still getting minutes even if he is not the first-choice right-back.