By Sheryl Ritchie
The 23-year-old goalkeeper is due to make his competitive debut following confirmation that both Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin are self-isolating due to Covid protocols.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s second-leg in Armenia, McAllister paid tribute to McCrorie’s development.
“I’ve been impressed since day one of pre-season. He’s a young man who was pretty shy – a towering guy but very quiet, but since we’ve came back for pre-season I’ve seen a different Robbie.
“That’s obviously been enhanced by the fact that he went out and played last season at Livingston, getting some valuable experience in the Premier League in Scotland.
“But the thing that I’ve noticed is that he’s become more confident in and around the first team players – more talkative, more chatty.”
The Rangers assistant manager was also keen to highlight the young goalkeeper’s work ethic, and his growing sense of self-belief.
“He’s first in in the morning. He’s a keeper that works like the keepers I played with. He’s a real workhorse, and there’s just more confidence about Robbie, and in and around him as a man.
“It’s been nice to see that maturity and to see him come out of his shell. He’s maybe for the first time thinking ‘I belong here’”
McAllister also shed some light on the Covid protocols that Rangers have been following, stating:
“We’ve been extremely diligent in and around our training ground.
“Everything’s been done in and around the training ground to try and keep everyone safe.”
And in what may be a boost for Rangers fans, McAllister did not rule out the possibility of self-isolating players being available for Sunday’s Old Firm clash, confirming that: “A lot of the people in and around the club have been double vaccinated.”
Scottish Government guidance currently states that close contacts of those who have tested positive for Covid-19 are not required to self-isolate provided they have received the second dose of the vaccine more than two weeks ago, are not displaying any symptoms and return a negative PCR test.
