Dan Smith of Youth Football Scotland takes a closer look at Rangers Under 20 keeper Robby McCrorie.
Forget Jedward, or the Olsen twins, it's the McCrories that you need to watch out for in the coming few years. Twins Robby and Ross are currently plying their trade in Rangers' U20 squad.
Robby is also a regular between the sticks. Last October, he was called up to Scotland's under-19 squad for qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland, Slovakia and Latvia along with his twin brother.
While the Irish will be challenging opponents, Robby is relishing the challenge: “The opposition teams are really good and they will be very tough games. The tougher the opposition, the more that we will get out of it.
“I think we have a really good squad so we won’t doubt ourselves for any of the matches that we’re playing in. I definitely think playing against those teams will be really good for me.”
Robby has the slight edge in terms of height and cites fellow shot-stopper Allan McGregor as his favourite player to put on the Rangers jersey. His biggest inspiration in the current squad is Wes Foderingham: "I train with Wes and he’s a very good, technical keeper. Training with him and watching what he does helps me a lot. I agree with the manager that he could play for England.”
Robby has been involved in the Rangers set-up for a number of years. He received his first senior call-up in November 2014 as a 16-year-old in a Scottish Cup match against Dumbarton. His next call-up was in December 2015 in a Championship fixture, once again versus the Sons.
He has already been billed as a wonder kid by many. Back in 2012, it was rumoured that the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City were queuing up to bid for the then 14-year-old goalkeeper. Despite Rangers being in the Third Division at the time, Robby stayed north of the border.
It seems to have paid off and, with a number of Rangers youth players featuring for the first team in recent years, he fancies his chances of fighting for the jersey with Foderingham: “My brother Ross and Liam Burt have been involved pretty regularly and it makes us feel like there’s a chance for us if we keep our heads down, work hard and the gaffer sees us progressing.”
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