Ross McCrorie sure Derek McInnes will help him make fruitful return to Rangers

Ross McCrorie has no doubt that manager Derek McInnes will help ensure he has a fruitful return to Rangers.

The 28-year-old defender came through the ranks at Ibrox and made 54 appearances before opting to leave in 2020 to progress his career.

Newly-appointed Gers boss McInnes, then in charge at Pittodrie, made a big push to sign McCrorie for Aberdeen before he earned a move to Bristol City in 2023.

“A big thing for me coming back was the gaffer,” said McCrorie as he faced the media on Thursday for the first time since returning to Rangers last month.

“I had a good few offers down in England, but as soon as gaffer got the job here, I knew he was the man to take this club forward. He is a great man-manager, he’s top in that instance. He’s a real leader of men.

“As a man, he makes you want to run through brick walls for him. As soon as I got the opportunity to work under him again, it was a no-brainer.

“The gaffer knows the league really well. He’s obviously had a good season last year (with Hearts) and in the previous year with the teams he was at.

“He is all about standards and if we want to go and be successful, I think the gaffer is the man to lead us forward. I don’t think, I know he is.”

McCrorie, capped twice by Scotland in 2024, explained that he is a much more rounded player than the one lured away from Ibrox by McInnes six years ago.

“The gaffer was the one who gave me that belief to step up and leave Rangers,” he said. “To be honest, I wanted to leave in the first place. I was being selfish at the time, I wanted to go and develop myself as a player.

“I wanted to go and be that main man somewhere, go and get the games under my belt. The gaffer actually came to my house in East Kilbride at the time and persuaded me to go up to Aberdeen, and I had a great few years up there.

“I don’t like talking about the way I play, I like showing up and doing my talking on the pitch. But I think for anybody who’s watched me over the years, especially down in England, I’ve kicked on massively.

“I’m a totally different player from what I was back in the day at Rangers. I’m not that smiley-faced wee boy who was just excited to be a Rangers player.

“When the opportunity arose to come back here, I had a good think about it, and I was coming back here because I wanted to go and win trophies.

“I’m a Rangers man, I grew up a Rangers fan, I was in the youth team since I was nine years old so I know what it’s all about, but I’m 28 now and for me it’s that opportunity to go and win some silverware.”