Allan McGregor outlines when he will decide Rangers future as veteran keeper awarded Newcastle testimonial

Allan McGregor has confirmed he will make a decision on his Rangers future at the end of the season as he opened on the key factors that will decide whether he plays on next term.

The 41-year-old veteran stopper made his 500th appearance for the Ibrox club in Saturday’s 2-0 Scottish Premiership win over Dundee United. With his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, it remains to be seen if the ex-Scotland international will still be on the Ibrox payroll by then.

McGregor found himself in a similar position 12 months ago when it was speculated that he might be ready to hang up his gloves, but he agreed a new one-year deal and still remains the club’s number one.

Boss Michael Beale has recently been linked with moves for other goalkeepers, including former England Under-21 cap Freddie Woodman and Norwich City ace Angus Gunn. However, McGregor insists he will only opt to continue playing if he still feels he can perform at the highest level for Rangers next season.

Asked about his future plans on Sky Sports, he said: “I need to focus on the games, let the season finish and make my decision then. That’s exactly what I did last year, I’ll concentrate until the end of the season and see what happens then.

“I consider if I think my body can handle it, I consider if I’ll be good enough to perform at the highest level for me. Everybody says play as long as you want and I get that, but do I want to be sitting on the bench? To be fair I was at the start of this season, but I would like to feel that I can contribute something and that will be a major factor.”

McGregor admits he was humbled to join an exclusive group of players to have reached 500 games for the club over two spells. He stated: “It’s a massive honour, personally. I’m not one for personal achievements but this means a lot to me. I came here as a boy and getting one appearance, never mind 500, is a massive thing for me. I was actually looking at it (the list) not long ago and it’s a small list for the club being here over 150 years, so it does humble me a little bit.”

McGregor has been awarded for his outstanding service with a testimonial match against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United on July 18 to ensure he becomes the first Rangers player in more than two decades since John Brown in 2001 to receive one.

The keeper is looking forward to being honoured by the Light Blues. He commented: “It’s fantastic, I’m glad the club have done that for me. It will be a great occasion because their fans are top class as well. It might be the first game of our pre-season so it will be a good night.”

Beale insists he fully deserves his testimonial, adding: “This will be a very proud night for Allan and his family and an excellent test for us. We will have an interesting pre-season, with this being the first game announced. His contribution to Rangers over two spells has been absolutely huge. Some of the performancs he’s put in over the years has been fantastic.”

Asked if he would consider offering McGregor a role on his backroom staff this summer, the Gers boss joked: “He plays a lot of golf so maybe he sees himself joining a different type of schedule. All of those things are open and being discussed.”