Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that Allan McGregor was made no promises about being Rangers number one ahead of signing his contract extension.
The veteran keeper looked to have said an emotional farewell to the club and its fans after coming on for the final minute of the Gers’ 2-0 Scottish Cup final victory over Hearts. It seemed odds on that McGregor would hang up his gloves this summer after his apparent swansong in royal blue when he replaced Jon McLaughlin.
But talks began a few weeks after the end of the season and McGregor put pen to paper on a one-year Ibrox extension. That will take him beyond the age of 41 and affords him another crack at the Champions League, with qualifiers to take place next month.
McLaughlin was Rangers' dedicated cup keeper last season and started the final against his former club after getting the nod for previous rounds. But van Bronckhorst insisted the fight for the gloves is on and that McGregor’s new deal didn't come with any guarantees that they would be his.
"I mean the decision has to be made, not just for the goalkeeper position but also for the other positions in this team,” he said "Allan is at an age where he has the most experience in this team, he has been an important player and still is an important player to the squad.
"I am also very happy about Jon, you wouldn’t say he is becoming 34. He is doing well as well, he did really well in the cup competitions, and they are pushing each other as well to be the first goalkeeper this year.
"I am really happy about the competition but of course finally you have to make your decision. No I would never do that (make any promises to players). I would never do that. I cannot guarantee any starting positions to any players.
"Of course you have experienced players and young players. I think it is a process that is natural in any team sport and eventually we are one team. We need the whole squad, as we have seen last year."
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