Allan McGregor insists Rangers will play on the front foot against Celtic

Allan McGregor insists Rangers will look to play front-foot football in Sunday’s Old Firm ViaPlay Cup final.

Michael Beale has won 13 and drawn one of his 14 games since taking charge of the Ibrox club but the Light Blues trail Celtic by nine points at the top of the cinch Premiership.

However, the first opportunity of the season to lift a trophy comes in the keenly-awaited clash with the Hoops at Hampden Park.

McGregor, 41, who along with captain James Tavernier and veteran midfielder Steven Davis, was inducted into Rangers’ Hall of Fame on Sunday night, told Sky Sports Scotland: “Obviously it is big, it’s a trophy.

“It is a one-off game, nothing to do with the league but it is a chance to win silverware and that’s what this club is all about.

“We are in the final and we will go for it as much as we can.

“Obviously it will be difficult. They are a good side, as are we. It is a one-off game, a cup-tie so it will be difficult but you never know.

“The momentum is very important. At a club like this you need to win every game. The fans demand that, we demand that from ourselves and we know we need to do that to win trophies. It’s a given at this club.”

McGregor signed a one-year extension to his contract last summer but amid on-going speculation about the number one spot at the Govan club for next season, he insists he is managing his career on a “game by game” basis.

He said: “I am not really looking that far. I didn’t do it last season and I am not going to do it this season.

“I am just going to take it game by game and see what happens.”

McGregor retired from international football in 2019 after winning 42 Scotland caps to concentrate on club football.

However, national team boss Steve Clarke is facing an emergency ahead of the 2024 European Championship qualifying double-header against Cyprus and Spain at Hampden Park next month.

Scotland number one Craig Gordon is injured and Hibernian’s David Marshall has retired.

Asked if there was chance of a come back, McGregor said: “I wouldn’t have thought so, no.

“Nobody has spoken to me about it, I haven’t really thought about it so I find it highly unlikely.”

Was he ruling it out? – “I have my holidays booked for that week,” he said with a smile.