FAR too many young footballers think they know everything there is to know after half a dozen first-team games.

You will have seen the type. A little bit of praise goes straight to their head and all of a sudden they can’t be told anything by anyone.

After all, they have arrived. At least that’s what they have convinced themselves.

Take it from someone who made his debut at just 16, no matter how good you are, or how good you think you are, there is a so, so much to learn when starting out and those who go onto have a good career realise this and keep their eyes and ears open.

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I am happy to report that Ross McCrorie is the polar opposite of those who make their debut and then walk about as if they have 100 caps.

I know this kid and have monitored his progress for some time. He is absolutely ready to listen to coaches and team-mates, and wants to learn all he can about how to improve himself as a footballer.

He doesn’t think he has made it. This is good news for Rangers.

I watched McCrorie several times for the under-20 team and as a centre-half and centre-forward, myself, I could see he had something about him. Even then, I felt he had a real chance.

The first thing which jumped out was his communication and not a lot of young players are so good at this vital part of the game. If his team was in trouble during a match, McCrorie would be the one talking his team- mates and taking responsibility upon himself to sort things out.

I’ve seen him shouting and balling. He’s done this with the senior side well. The last thing a team needs is a quiet defender.

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Graeme Murty has played McCrorie in defence and midfield for the under-20s, such is his belief in the player. This ability to adapt could be crucial in his development.

He stood even out as a 17-year-old. The coaches at Ibrox would tell you about how he conducted himself around the club, that he was of a mature lad who was giving everything to make it at the club.

Now before I go on, he is 19-years-old and while he's come on leaps and bounds over the last 18 months, there are still for him miles to go.

Predicting McCrorie will be one of Scotland’s great defenders, as Pedro Caixinha did, is ridiculous and piles unnecessary pressure on the lad.

I’ve even heard it said that he’s going to be the Rangers captain one day. Let’s give him a chance to find his feet for goodness sake.

Let’s see how he is after 20 to 25 games. If he can keep up the consistent performances over that period of time then we can begin to say what he can achieve.

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I’m no fan of going over the top about a young players after a handful of matches.

However, as someone who has watched McCrorie closely, he has done a hell of a lot of growing up over the past 18 months.

He went on loan at Dumbarton and I know they raved about his attitude as well as his performances.

His work ethic is superb, please believe me, and he has the temperament you would want from anyone coming through the ranks. As I said at the start, he wants to get better and is wide enough to realise who far he has to go.

The role of a central defender has changed – just a bit – from my day.

Back then, I would roll the ball back to Peter McCloy, we would all turn our backs on the big goalie and look towards the other goal, and Peter would hoof the ball 80 yards up the park. Every time.

That doesn’t happen now. The ball is played out from the back which means centre-halves need to be able to pass a ball.

Now, I still firmly believe a defender’s main job is to defend. But there is so much more to it than that these days. If you can’t play a bit then, these days, you’re going to struggle at top club.

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I’ve watched McCrorie ping 20 and 30 yard passes to a team-mate’s feet. It was he who set up Kenny Miller for his first goal at Murrayfield against Hearts.

He’s not a nervous lad. Football comes naturally to him and he’s been desperate to get a chance. In fact, the only nerves I’ve seen is when he’s been sat in front of the media and he has to deal with their questions.

McCrorie plays with his head up, wants the ball all the time and can pick out a man. Not bad for a teenager.

And while I can’t say strongly enough that this is just start for his time at Rangers, so far he has been very good.