Connor Barron, the 23-year-old Rangers midfielder, is targeting a perfect finish to the season: helping Rangers clinch the Scottish Premiership and forcing his way into Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Barron made a strong impression early in Danny Röhl’s reign as Rangers head coach but then missed more than two months with a knee problem. His form before the injury had earned him back-to-back late call-ups in October and November, and he featured in the wider Scotland group when the team sealed World Cup qualification with a memorable 4-2 win over Denmark at Hampden Park.
Back in action from mid-March, Barron has mostly been used from the bench while January signing Tochi Chukwuani has been favoured as Nico Raskin’s midfield partner. Barron is determined to win more starts in the run-in and put himself in contention for a summer trip to the USA.
Scotland’s central midfield is packed with options — Napoli pair Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson, John McGinn, Ryan Christie and young Lennon Miller are all in contention, while Kenny McLean’s qualifying contribution is still remembered. In March Clarke named eight midfielders in a 26-man squad for friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast, leaving what amounts to an open spot Barron hopes to claim.
Other candidates for that extra midfield berth include Andy Irving and a handful of uncapped domestic players: Josh Mulligan, Elliot Watt, Marc Leonard, Luke McCowan and David Watson. Barron believes his strengths — energy, calmness on the ball and a willingness to press and compete off it — are attributes that could help Scotland, and he described his debut as an unforgettable moment. Making the World Cup squad, he says, would be a dream fulfilled.
Rangers remain embroiled in a tense title race. After a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to win 6-3 at Falkirk, they sit one point behind leaders Hearts with five matches left. Barron backed the squad’s mentality, saying the group is hungry and united in the pursuit of the league.
He came on for the final 13 minutes at Falkirk and is pushing for more game time as the season reaches its climax. Reflecting on his injury lay-off, Barron said he’s just glad to be back, training and playing, and is focused on maintaining high standards every day to force his way into the starting XI and, hopefully, into Scotland’s World Cup party.