Scotland are heading to their second consecutive European Championships and there will be a Rangers tint to Steve Clarke’s squad.
The 1990s and early 2000s saw plenty of Ibrox based players called up with many playing a starring role.
There has been a shortage of Rangers players representing Scotland in recent years, however, there could be as many as seven with an Auchenhowie connection.
Rangers feeling to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad
Philippe Clement will be losing two members of his squad for the summer’s tournament in Germany, but there is a good chance that one of them won’t be returning after the summer anyway.
John Souttar has been rewarded for his consistent form and availability throughout the season and will be hoping to force his way past Ryan Porteous in the right-sided centre-half role.
With recent results being poor, he deserves a chance.
In midfield, Ryan Jack, despite not playing since March, has been a recipient of the loyalty that Clarke is sometimes accused of.
After playing a key role in Scotland getting to the Euros in 2021 and missing out, it’s probably the least he deserves.
For those saying Jack hasn’t played enough football, there are four players who have featured even less, and nothing has been said about them.
From Auchenhowie kids to European Championships
The obvious names with a Rangers familiarity are Liam Kelly and Ross McCrorie.
Kelly never made a first team appearance for the club he supports having spent his whole youth career at Rangers.
He left in 2018 when Steven Gerrard arrived with Allan McGregor and Wes Foderingham ahead of him in the queue.
There are strong reports suggesting that he could be returning.
McCrorie was tipped to be Scotland captain by Pedro Caixinha playing as a centre-half only for Gerrard to criticise his predecessors for not playing him in midfield.
The twin brother of Robby was always athletic, aggressive and versatile and it is these qualities that see him in the squad with players like Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson out injured.
Billy Gilmour is the one that got away.
What Clement would give for a natural number six like the Brighton midfielder now.
His ability to put out fires but also be an outlet for his defence and then start attacks is elite level.
Kenny McLean seemed destined to return to Rangers on several occasions after leaving as a teenager but has become a fan favourite at Norwich City instead.
A former teammate of Ryan Jack, McLean is almost a throwback box-to-box midfielder and has some high-profile moments for Scotland on his CV.
Having grown up a Rangers fan and with a Rangers supporting dad, Greg Taylor’s move to Celtic raised a few eyebrows.
After spending his formative years at Auchenhowie, he grew into senior football at Kilmarnock where he became a favourite of Steve Clarke.
It’s safe to say that the other names on the list will probably get more support from Rangers fans than Taylor, despite his early career.
