It took Scott Wright almost three months to dial into Gio van Bronckhorst’s way of thinking. Now Greg Stewart reckons its only a matter of time before the Rangers winger has Steve Clarke on the phone with a Scotland call-up.
The 24-year-old’s number looked to be up at one point last season as he failed to connect with his new Gers gaffer’s methods. The former Aberdeen kid was a regular feature during the early weeks of the Dutchman’s Ibrox reign but a dip in form and a failure to stay on message with the boss’ tactical instructions saw him cut off from first-team duties.
Between kicking-off against Livingston at the end of January and his next Premiership start away to Motherwell in the last week of April, Wright would tally up a total of just 254 minutes of action, with 90 of those registered after he joined a list of fringe men facing Annan in the Scottish Cup. But by the end of the season, Wright had reconnected with his manager and was trusted to fill in as an injury-hit Light Blues squad went the distance in Europe.
He started the Europa League final and was one of the few men in blue to take the fight to Seville in the first half as van Bronckhorst’s team sweltered in sizzling Seville before losing out agonisingly on penalties. And it was his crisp low drive which wiped away Rangers' concerns over a barren season as he sealed Scottish Cup glory over Hearts at Hampden.
It’s those displays which former Ibrox ace Stewart reckons will soon force his name onto Clarke’s call sheet. He told Record Sport : “If you do well for Rangers you’re going to be looked at straight away for the Scotland team. That’s just what happens.
“If you play for Celtic or Rangers and you’re producing the goods consistently it will only be a matter of time before you get that call to join the Scotland squad and hopefully that happens for Scott. When Gio took over the team, he did struggle a wee bit at first.
“But by the end of the season he was a starter. As a player the more appearances you can string together in a row, the more confidence you build. You start to develop a feel-good factor and a bit of belief.
“You start to believe you can actually be a Rangers player and a guy the manager can depend on. Gio managed to give Scott that run of games and it showed in his performances.
“It paid off in the cup final with his goal. Hopefully that’s the start of a big summer for Scotty and he can pick up again where he finished off at Hampden.”
Clarke was credited with a tactical masterstroke after devising his 3-5-2 system which has managed to squeeze both Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson into the same Scotland line-up. But with Tierney absent over the summer, the national looked short on width and inspiration as their World Cup dreams crumbled against Ukraine before Ireland dished out another depressing dunt in Dublin - an issue Stewart reckons Wright can solve.
“Scotland obviously play with three at the back to ensure they can fit both Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson into the same line-up,” added Stewart, who worked with Clarke during his time at Kilmarnock. “Steve obviously thinks that system works so he sticks with it.
“But he might be thinking about a change after the last few results and having someone like Scotty in there would give them another option when it comes to providing width higher up. But it’s up to Steve to decide if he changes it or not.”
For now, Wright will have to focus on retaining his Ibrox slot. He could do with boosting his attacking stats if he’s to nail down a role as a Rangers regular.
He made 37 appearances last season but only 18 were starts. In those circumstances, his count of seven goals and three assists isn’t so bad but Stewart - now preparing for his second season in India having joined Mumbai City - expects more from his former Aberdeen team-mate.
“The goal at Hampden will have made Scott feel even better," he went on. “He started in the Europa League final too, so that shows the manager has a lot of confidence in him too.
“Now he needs to think about contributing more with goals and assists. That’s what you need to have as a forward player for Rangers. That’s your job. But I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on this season.
“I’ve known Scott a wee while. He went on loan to Dundee for a few months when I first joined Aberdeen on loan in 2017. But I played with him for a few months when I went back in 2019 on another loan.
“To be fair to him, he was still very young at that time. Aberdeen is a good club so to be playing first-team football up there when you’re still a teenager, having to deal with the expectations their fans have, will only make you a better player.
“He’s taken that next step up by joining Rangers and of course it will take time to adjust and build on your performances. When I was still at Rangers, he joined in the January. But right away he started doing a lot of stuff in the gym to try and build himself up.
“You can see now he’s filled out a wee bit but he’s not done yet. He’s still young and has a lot of time on his hands to improve and become a really good player for Rangers.”
