Derek McInnes wants his players to prove they have the minerals to be Rangers captain - as he left the Ibrox armband up for grabs. The new Gers boss is on the lookout for a skipper after James Tavernier ended his 11 years in Govan last month.
Shankland Leading Candidate for Armband
McInnes has the option of handing Lawrence Shankland the responsibility after describing the summer signing as a “brilliant captain” for him at Hearts last season. But he is also focused on bulking up the leadership group in his dressing room in his first transfer window as Ibrox boss.
Ross McCrorie has returned to his boyhood club from Bristol City and was previously described as a “potential future Rangers captain” by former boss Steven Gerrard. McInnes is also a huge fan of Cammy Devlin who took the armband twice at Hearts last season - but as of Saturday afternoon there had been no contact between Rangers and the Australia midfielder who is a free agent after his contract ran out at Tynecastle.
Devlin's Future Uncertain
As revealed last week, the 28-year-old has a bumper offer on the table from Real Salt Lake in the MLS as well as a fresh contract offer from Hearts and interest in Turkey. However Devlin, on World Cup duty with the Socceroos, is leaving a decision on his future until that adventure in the States is over.
McInnes will step up his preparations for the new season in his first full week as Gers boss. And when he was asked if he had made a decision on his skipper, the 54-year-old left the door open.
McInnes: 'No Conversations Yet'
He said: “I think, just similar to what I had at Hearts, Lawrence was the captain but I had a lot of key captains within that. I would like the dressing room to have as many of those types as possible. But there are no conversations, discussions or any real thoughts to that yet. I’ve not given it too much thought at the minute. I’m sure that once I get to know the players… Obviously Lawrence has been my captain in the past. Hopefully we are going to sign a few players who can have those good qualities as well. Someone needs to take the team down the tunnel. But Monday to Friday I need as many captains on the training pitch as possible.”
Shankland fitted that bill for McInnes at Hearts last season and could well do it again at Ibrox as the duo look to end a six-year wait for the title. The 30-year-old led from the front as Jambos top scorer. But it was his leadership qualities on a daily basis that could tempt McInnes to hand him the honour at his boyhood heroes.
Shankland's Leadership Praised
He said: “When he turned up for the pre-season work in Spain, he walked in and could see how he was with the players. The confidence, the maturity, how he trained, how he behaved, how he demanded. How the other players looked up to him was really quite telling for me. He was a brilliant captain, a brilliant player.”
