'Confident' Ross McCausland thriving in Rangers first team under Philippe Clement

Rangers youngster Ross McCausland says he is thriving from his experience in the first-team this season after surpassing his own expectations.

The 20-year-old winger has played a key-part under Philippe Clement as the resurgent side fought their way back in to the title race after a disappointing start to the campaign under previous manager Michael Beale.

After making the switch from Linfield to the Rangers academy in 2019 he was handed a first team debut as a 17-year-old at the end of the 2021/22 season but after spending the majority of the next campaign in the B team he didn’t make his second appearance until a year later.

However after being brought back into the fold by interim manager Steven Davis between Beale being sacked and Clement coming in, he has cemented his place with a string of impressive performances and hasn’t looked back.

He has played 21 times in all competitions, with 19 of those coming under the Belgian, and has scored two goals, as Rangers cut the gap at the top of the Premiership to five points with a game in hand, won the League Cup and secured their place in the last-16 Europa League.

And the Northern Ireland international, who also earned his first cap for his country this season, admits he has surpassed even his own expectations and his now “booming” with confidence as he learns from Clement and other first-team stars at Ibrox.

He said: “It’s something I have always wanted to have game time on a regular basis, so whenever I am getting it I just want to show what I can do and make an impact on the games.

“I am grateful for my chance and that’s obviously what you need to do when you get your chance as an academy player coming through you need to take it, and I feel like I’ve done that.

“When the manager first came in, I had just made my international debut and he had watched the games back and seen I had some game time with Davo (Steven Davis) when he was interim so he just said to me to keep doing what I had been doing and what I had been doing training and take my chance when it came and I did.

“Every day I am learning new things from the manager and from the players as well with all the experience that is in the dressing room.

“With the experience the gaffer has as well he can obviously give me that and I just have to soak it all up.

“Now it’s just about trying to enjoy the position that I am in, I am playing a part in most games now and I just want to continue playing well and having an impact.

“My confidence is booming at the moment, it’s a lot higher than what it was and each day I’m getting more experience and just thriving off it.

“Patience has been a big thing, because when you are in the academy you can go long spells without being around the first team and it’s just about staying patient and believing in yourself.

“I think if you’d have said to me four or five months ago that If I thought I would have been in this position now then probably not so I am grateful for the position I am in.

“Winning the league is obviously something we want to do, but we go into each game just looking to get the three points and play our own game.”