Queen of the South have secured the signing of Rangers goalkeeper Robby McCrorie on a season-long loan deal.
The 21-year-old, who is the twin brother of fellow Gers man Ross McCrorie, is currently too far down the pecking order at Ibrox to be considered for the number one jersey, with Allan McGregor the preferred choice ahead of Wes Foderingham and Jack Alnwick.
The Scotland Under 21 international has three years left on his Rangers contract, so has time to push on and gain some recognition in a Queens side where he'll be a main contender for a starting spot.
Doonhamers boss Alan Johnston was thrilled with the signing. In an interview with qosfc.com, he said; "We are delighted to have Robby join us and I’m looking forward to having him in the squad. He is expected to have a big future in the game and is well thought of at Ibrox and has gained praise from their current number one Allan McGregor."
"He had some impressive performances for Morton in the Championship last season and won numerous awards when he was with Berwick and he is now starting to establish himself as the number one choice for his country at his level."
Queens must improve
McCrorie is a very good signing for Queen of the South, but they need to strengthen much more if they are to improve on last season's scare.
The Doonhamers finished 9th in the Championship last season, and it took play-off wins against Montrose and Raith Rovers to avoid relegation.
With Alan Johnston now at the helm, after taking over at the end of last season just before the Play-Offs, the new boss has a lot of work on his hands. Key players Lyndon Dykes, Jordan Marshall and Josh Todd, to name a few, have all left the club, and Johnston has a big task in finding replacements.
Start as you mean to go on
It's not a permanent deal of course, but securing Robby McCrorie's signature for the season sends a strong message to the rest of the division.
With Stephen Dobbie in the side, there's always a chance of goals, but McCrorie's addition brings stability at the back, and a likely improvement on last season where the Doonhamers conceded 48 goals in their 36 league games.
The young goalkeeper has impressed in his two previous loan spells, particularly in his first, with Berwick Rangers during the 2017/2018 season. He kept nine clean sheets in 41 games for the Borderers, and picked up five awards at their Player of the Year awards.
The 21-year-old also spent the second half of last season on loan, and impressed again albeit in a short stint at Cappielow. In just 15 games, he kept six clean sheets, helping Morton steer clear of earlier relegation worries.
The bigger picture
A loan is believed to be the best option for McCrorie right now. The shot-stopper is very highly rated at Rangers, with some tipping the shot-stopper as Allan McGregor's successor between the sticks, but isn't quite ready for the step up.
McCrorie may go on to be the next number one at Ibrox, but he may not fulfil that potential, and sometimes you have to take a step back in order to take a step forward and progress.
Liam Kelly is the perfect example of that, having left Rangers to join Livingston. The goalkeeper impressed for the Lions in his debut season in the Premiership and earned a career-changing move to Queens Park Rangers.
Although his short term future lies with Queen of the South, the goalkeeper will need to seriously start thinking about his long term future soon, whether that be at Rangers or elsewhere.