Derek McInnes Reveals His Mind Is Made Up On New Rangers Captain After Testing Five Candidates Through Pre-Season
Derek McInnes has confirmed he already knows who he wants to hand the Rangers captaincy to this season, even though he has spent the entirety of pre-season deliberately spreading the armband around a host of different candidates before making that call official. The search for a new leader at Ibrox has been one of the more understated but genuinely significant subplots of this summer’s rebuild, following James Tavernier’s departure from the club after such a long and decorated spell as captain, and it is a decision McInnes appears determined to get right given just how much weight the role carries at a club of Rangers’ size and history.
Replacing a captain of Tavernier’s stature was never going to be a straightforward task. The full-back had worn the armband for years at Ibrox, becoming synonymous with the responsibility that comes with leading out a club like Rangers, and his exit this summer left a genuine void that McInnes has had to think carefully about how to fill. Rather than rushing into a decision immediately upon taking charge, the new Rangers boss has instead used the club’s full pre-season schedule as an extended audition process of sorts, handing the armband to a rotating cast of candidates across various friendly fixtures in order to properly assess how each of them carries themselves in the role before settling on his final choice.
That process has seen no fewer than five separate players given the opportunity to wear the captain’s armband during pre-season, offering McInnes a genuinely broad sample size from which to draw his conclusions. Ross McCrorie, Dan Neil, Lawrence Shankland and Ben Godfrey all had their turn leading the side out across various pre-season fixtures, each given the chance to demonstrate the kind of leadership qualities McInnes is clearly looking for in whoever eventually takes on the role permanently. Most recently, Dujon Sterling became the fifth man to be handed the honour, wearing the armband as Rangers played out a goalless draw against West Ham United in what was their final pre-season test before the competitive campaign gets under way.
Despite having now worked his way through such a wide array of candidates, McInnes has revealed that his decision on who will ultimately take up the role has effectively already been made, even if the finer details are still being ironed out with his coaching staff before anything is confirmed publicly. Speaking about the process, the Rangers manager acknowledged just how much significance supporters and observers place on the identity of the club’s captain, while also making clear that he considers himself fortunate to have several genuinely credible options to choose from rather than facing a situation where no obvious candidate stood out.
McInnes explained that he understands why people become so preoccupied with who exactly holds the captaincy, recognising it as an inevitable talking point given the history and expectations attached to leadership roles at a club like Rangers. However, he was quick to point out that this is a rather more fortunate problem to have than the alternative scenario some managers might face elsewhere. He described a situation where a manager might look around a dressing room and struggle to identify anyone obviously suited to leading the team out, expressing relief that this is simply not a concern he has encountered during his time assessing the Rangers squad so far. Instead, he feels there are a genuine number of players within his squad who possess the qualities required to take on such a role, which he clearly views as a reassuring sign about the overall character and leadership depth running through this Rangers group.
That depth of leadership options does still leave McInnes with the task of ultimately settling on just one individual to take on the responsibility of leading the team down the tunnel and out onto the pitch on a regular basis, a duty that inevitably falls to a single player regardless of how many others might be considered capable of handling it. It is that specific decision, over who takes on that particular responsibility, that McInnes has now confirmed he has already reached a conclusion on, even as he continues working through some of the finer administrative or internal details before making things official.
Discussing the process further, McInnes was candid in explaining exactly why he had gone to the lengths of rotating the armband across five different players throughout pre-season rather than simply making an early call and sticking with a single option from the outset. He explained that the purpose of doing so was to properly observe how each candidate handled the armband and the additional attention that comes with it, allowing him to assess things from a certain distance before committing to a final decision. Beyond simply seeing how players performed with the armband on for a single match, McInnes made clear that he has also been closely monitoring the leadership qualities each individual demonstrates on a daily basis, suggesting his eventual decision is being informed as much by what he witnesses in day-to-day training and squad interactions as by anything that happens specifically during pre-season fixtures themselves.
When pressed directly on whether his mind was genuinely made up regarding the identity of Rangers’ new captain, McInnes confirmed that it largely was, while also stressing that conversations with his coaching staff were still ongoing given that the matter had not necessarily been at the very forefront of his thoughts in recent weeks. He acknowledged the significance of the question being asked of him, recognising that the captaincy represents a considerable talking point at any club, but particularly so at an institution with the history and expectation levels associated with Rangers. Despite that recognition of its importance, McInnes was honest in admitting that the captaincy decision has not necessarily dominated internal discussions ahead of other pressing matters, such as completing the squad’s transfer business or fine-tuning tactical approaches heading into the new season. Nonetheless, he confirmed that a definitive decision would be made and communicated during the course of this week, with Rangers’ Premiership opener against Dundee United at Tannadice fast approaching this Friday.
That timeline means supporters will not have to wait especially long to discover the identity of the club’s new on-field leader, with McInnes indicating that the announcement is imminent rather than something that will drag on deep into the early weeks of the season. Given the busy nature of preparations heading into the opening league fixture, including the club’s continued efforts in the transfer market to add further reinforcements before the window closes, it makes sense that finalising the captaincy decision would be dealt with alongside those other priorities in the days leading up to Friday’s trip to Tannadice.
Looking at the five candidates McInnes has tested throughout pre-season, each brings a slightly different profile and set of attributes to the conversation, offering some insight into the type of characteristics the Rangers manager might be weighing up as he finalises his decision. Ross McCrorie, a boyhood Rangers supporter who has represented the club he grew up following, carries an obvious emotional connection to the badge that could make him an appealing option in terms of embodying what the captaincy means to the wider fanbase. Dan Neil, arriving as one of the summer’s free transfer additions, offers a different kind of profile, that of a player brought in specifically to add experience and leadership qualities to the engine room of the team, making him a plausible contender if McInnes values that kind of maturity and game understanding in his captain. Lawrence Shankland, the club’s marquee summer signing up front, represents another intriguing option, given strikers leading by example through goals and performances on the pitch can often carry significant weight in a dressing room, even if out-and-out forwards are not always the most conventional choice for captaincy duties. Ben Godfrey, arriving on loan from Atalanta, offers yet another dimension, that of a defender with experience gained in a major European league, potentially bringing a calm, organisational presence to marshal those around him at the back. And finally, Dujon Sterling, the most recent player to wear the armband during the West Ham fixture, rounds out the list of candidates, someone who has clearly impressed enough during his time with the squad to be given this particular opportunity as pre-season draws to its conclusion.
The fact that McInnes chose to test such a genuinely varied cross-section of players across different positions on the pitch, rather than sticking purely to defenders or established senior professionals, speaks to an evidently thorough and open-minded approach to identifying the right character for the captaincy, regardless of where that player happens to line up during matches. It suggests McInnes has been genuinely prepared to consider candidates based purely on leadership qualities and character rather than feeling constrained by more traditional assumptions about which positions typically produce captains at a club like Rangers.
This entire process also offers a broader window into how McInnes appears to be approaching his early months in charge at Ibrox more generally. Rather than making sweeping, immediate declarations about major decisions upon first taking the job, he has instead shown a clear preference for observing, testing and gathering information before committing to conclusions, whether that relates to team selection, tactical approaches, or in this case, something as symbolically significant as who leads the team out onto the pitch each week. That measured, considered style may well prove reassuring to supporters who have witnessed considerable upheaval at the club in recent times, offering a sense that decisions are being made thoughtfully rather than reactively.
There is also something notable in how McInnes discussed the captaincy question in relatively understated terms, downplaying its prominence in internal discussions even while acknowledging its broader significance to the club and its supporters. That balance, treating the decision with the seriousness it deserves while not allowing it to overshadow other pressing priorities such as completing the squad’s rebuild before the transfer window closes, reflects a manager attempting to keep his focus appropriately distributed across the many different demands that come with managing a club of Rangers’ stature during such a pivotal moment in a new era.
For the five players who have already had the opportunity to wear the armband this summer, the experience itself will likely have been valuable regardless of who ultimately ends up being awarded the role on a permanent basis. Being trusted to lead the team out, even for a single pre-season fixture, represents a clear vote of confidence from the manager and offers each individual concerned useful exposure to the additional responsibilities and visibility that come with captaining a club of this size. Whichever of the five names is eventually confirmed as Rangers’ new permanent captain, those who do not ultimately receive the armband on a full-time basis will still have benefited from the experience and the trust shown in them throughout this extended audition process.
As Friday’s Premiership opener against Dundee United draws closer, attention will understandably shift towards discovering exactly which of these five candidates has been chosen to take on this significant responsibility going forward. Given the emotional weight the captaincy carries at Ibrox, particularly following the departure of a long-serving leader like Tavernier, whoever is confirmed in the role will find themselves under considerable early scrutiny, with supporters keen to see how the new captain conducts himself both on the pitch and in representing the club more broadly. For McInnes, getting this decision right could play a meaningful role in helping establish the kind of culture and identity he wants to build within his new-look Rangers squad as they prepare to embark on what promises to be a demanding and closely watched debut season under his management.
Ultimately, while McInnes has been careful not to make too much public fuss over the captaincy question, choosing instead to let his testing process play out quietly across the pre-season schedule, the decision itself carries real significance for how this rebuilt Rangers squad presents itself heading into the new campaign. With confirmation expected imminently ahead of the trip to Tannadice, supporters will not have long to wait before finding out which of McCrorie, Neil, Shankland, Godfrey or Sterling has been entrusted with following in the footsteps of Tavernier as the club’s new on-field leader, a decision that McInnes appears confident he has already reached, even if the formal announcement is still being finalised behind the scenes.
