Allan McGregor pep talk convinced Robby McCrorie to leave Rangers on loan

McCrorie today signed a deal at Queen of the South where he'll spend next season between the sticks.

The 21-year-old was farmed out to Greenock Morton last term and played 15 times for the Cappielow outfit.

McCrorie hopes to establish himself at Ibrox

But there was no hesitation about leaving Ibrox again to allow him to sharpen his skills and improve as a player.

Current top man McGregor himself spent time away from Glasgow with Dunfermline back when he was a younger player before he returned to make the jersey his own.

And ambitious McCrorie hopes to follow in the ex-Hull keeper's footsteps.

He said: "I've got a good relationship with all the goalkeepers at Rangers and I've spoken with Greegsy quite a bit.

The goalie joined Queens

"He says to me to go out and play games, that's what he did when he was younger.

"I've got that opportunity at Queen of the South and I hope to build a solid base to then kick on at Rangers again one day.

"I really hope the Rangers manager has plans for me but I've always been of the mindset that if you do well, you make your own plans.

"That's why I'm happy to go on loan and if I do well can create my own path towards being an established Rangers player.

"As a goalkeeper you need to be patient but I've always said I want to play at the highest level possible as a number one."

READ MORE: Ross McCrorie leaves Rangers on loan for Portsmouth

McCrorie had the option of sticking around at Ibrox and watching from the sidelines.

His willingness to play, however, was clear when he signed on the dotted line in Dumfries.

Pal McGregor, Wes Foderingham and Andy Firth are all ahead of him in the pecking order so it was a no-brainer.

The goalkeeper will still train once a week with his Rangers teammates and he thanked new gaffer Allan Johnston for allowing him the best of both worlds.

And he remains adamant that playing week-in, week-out for a team chasing promotion from Scottish football's second-tier can only stand him in good stead as he returns next campaign all guns blazing.

He added: "Training with the standard of player Rangers have now has benefited me a lot and you can learn so much but at the end of the day, training is nothing like the real thing.

READ MORE: Allan Johnstone delighted to get Robby McCrorie on loan from Rangers

"You learn a lot quicker in games.

"It was part of my plans to go on loan somewhere and get as many first team games under my belt.

"A top manager in Allan Johnston has went into Queens and given me the opportunity to join.

"I got a lot of games last season at Morton, six months there, and I think it went well.

"But now, to hopefully get 40-odd games under my belt in a full season would be brilliant.

READ MORE: Rangers Europa League tie date vs. St Joseph's finally confirmed

"I'll still be training with Rangers once a week so I've got to thank the manager for that.

"It's not too often you get that chance so I just hope to make the most of it and hopefully I can perform well for Queen of the South."

McCrorie could make his debut next weekend when the Doonhamers face Motherwell in their opening Betfred Cup game.

And new manager Allan Johnston has told how he would have no hesitation to stick the highly-rated keeper in right away.

The former Dunfermline and Kilmarnock boss said: "We are delighted to have Robby join us and I’m looking forward to having him in the squad.

McGregor is current Rangers No.1

"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.

"He will continue to train with Rangers one day a week which will benefit both him and us.

"He’s around six foot three, so we expect him to be commanding in the box."