Connor Barron has described captaining Rangers for the first time as a "proud moment" for both himself and his family, as the midfielder prepares to lead the Light Blues out at Pittodrie this afternoon against his former club Aberdeen.
The 22-year-old, who swapped the Granite City for Ibrox last summer, has been handed the armband in a much-changed Rangers side, with regular skipper James Tavernier and vice-captain Nicolas Raskin both absent from the starting line-up as Barry Ferguson makes nine changes ahead of a season-defining week.
Speaking to Rangers TV ahead of kick-off, Barron admitted the moment was one he has long dreamed of — even if it arrived sooner than expected.
"I was absolutely buzzing when I found out this morning," he said. "It’s something that I’ve got in my game, it’s something that I’ve carried with me from a young age — I’ve always thought I’m a leader on the pitch.
"It’s something coming to the club that I always aimed to do and it’s came a lot earlier than I expected. I’m buzzing for it today and it’s a proud moment for me and my family."
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Barron’s leadership comes at a crucial moment for Rangers, who know anything less than a win this afternoon will confirm Celtic as Scottish Premiership champions for a fourth successive season.
Ferguson’s selection, however, also reflects the looming challenge of a Europa League quarter-final second leg away to Athletic Club in Bilbao on Thursday, with the tie finely poised at 0-0.
On the changes and the pressure to deliver, Barron stressed the need for Rangers to rise to the occasion.
"We are looking forward to it. We’ve got to go and put things right today. Obviously it’s been a bit up and down in the league this season, so we’ve got to go from now until the end of the season in the right manner, and hopefully we can start that off today before we then look forward to another big week."
He added: "We need to do the basics well. We know they are a good side and we need to go and implement our game on them and make sure that we come away with the three points."
Barron also welcomed the rotation and underlined the depth of the Rangers squad as several fringe stars get their opportunity to impress.
"I think it shows the squad depth," he explained. "Obviously with the amount of games we’ve got, we need to rotate at times, but it’s an opportunity for the boys not playing to come in and show what they’ve got and cement a place for Thursday."
A proud day for Barron — and one where Rangers’ priorities appear to shine through.
