Rangers face race against the clock to 'cash in' on star as Ibrox exit timeline predicted for fringe man
Winger is out of contract in the summer
Rangers will be forced to make a decision on wide man Ross McCausland’s future in January as his contract nears expiration.
The winter window will offer an opportunity for the club to ‘cash in’ on the 23 year-old, who doesn’t appear to be part of manager Derek McInnes’ plans. McCausland’s only appearance in a royal blue jersey this season came in August’s 5-1 League Cup victory over St Mirren.
The Northern Irishman was sent out on loan to Aris Limassol last season, where he earned some valuable first team minutes. The Cypriot side reportedly wanted to sign him permanently in the summer, but McCausland himself declined as he wanted to fight for his place in the team at Ibrox.
Exit predicted for McCausland by end of the season
So far, it’s been mission unsuccessful on that front for the winger and transfer expert Pete O’Rourke reckons a January move is beckoning, so that Rangers don’t lose him for nothing in the summer. He told Football Insider: "January will offer Rangers the last chance to cash in on him (McCausland), because his contract is up next summer at Ibrox.
"The player is in a strong position here. If he wants to move away in January, I'm sure there'll be some clubs who'll be interested in him, but he could wait until next summer and maybe have more opportunities to find a new club as a free agent as well. I don't see him working his way back into the plans of Derek McInnes. If he doesn't leave in January, he'll probably leave on a free next summer for sure."
Decision to fight for place doesn’t pay off
The Antrim-born winger grew up in a Rangers-daft household so it’s no surprise he was reluctant to leave the club when the opportunity arose. When returning from Limassol towards the back end of last season, McCausland was asked whether he’d be willing to fight for his place in the Rangers team, to which he responded: “I think you have to be.
“To play at a club like Rangers, you need to have that mindset. Not only do you need to want to play for the club, but you need to believe that you’re good enough to play for the club. I think at this stage of the season, when maybe I know I’ll be coming back to start pre-season, all I can really do is leave the best impression I can.
“Listen, if it doesn’t work out, which I would love it to, but if it doesn’t work out, you need to build yourself to know that you need to go somewhere else and try and make a career there. At the end of the day, football’s a funny game. Maybe things don’t go your way, but there’s always a way to make a career and all you really need to do is just give your best.”
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