It was always going to be a hostile return to Pittodrie for Connor Barron — but few could have predicted it would come with the added pressure of wearing the Rangers armband.
With James Tavernier left on the bench amid nine changes as Barry Ferguson rotated his squad ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarter-final showdown against Athletic Club, Barron was handed the captaincy for the pulsating 2-2 Scottish Premiership draw against his former club.
The decision raised more than a few eyebrows from both sets of supporters pre-match. After all, this was a player who only swapped red for blue last summer and, at 22, is still finding his feet and competing for a regular start in the Rangers midfield. But for Ferguson, the thinking was clear.
"Yeah, listen, the wee man can handle that," the Rangers interim boss told reporters post-match. "He knows what he was going to come in for in terms of getting a bit of stick. I remember that he'd done a very good job at Aberdeen. He was a good player for Aberdeen. The fact is that he wanted to better his career and go to Rangers."
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Barron’s every touch was met with a chorus of boos from the home support, a predictable reception given the manner of his departure last summer.
Yet the midfielder showed very few signs of being rattled. His performance was tidy, mature and disciplined — offering further evidence of why Rangers were so keen to bring him to Ibrox in the first place after he allowed his Aberdeen contract to expire.
"I thought he handled the occasion well," Ferguson added. "[James Tavernier] Tav coming on obviously takes the armband out of respect. I thought the young man was really good today. He's brilliant to work with, young Connor.
"He's got some things in his game that he understands he has to work at. I think if he works at them and he gets better at them, he'll become an all-round better midfielder."
The Pittodrie faithful may have viewed his return as an act of betrayal, but Barron’s focus never wavered. His ability to rise above the noise won’t have gone unnoticed, especially on an afternoon where Rangers had to dig deep to rescue a point - and stop Celtic from celebrating another league title.
