Rydnn McGuire Ready For Youth League Test

Rydnn McGuire in action
RYDNN McGuire believes Wednesday evening’s UEFA Youth League second leg clash against Dynamo Kyiv will be a fantastic occasion for the Under-19s to showcase their talent.

The young Gers host the Ukrainian outfit at Forthbank Stadium, looking to overturn a 3-2 first-leg deficit.

And McGuire, who earlier this season penned a contract extension with the club, believes the added attention on the competition will bring out the best in the side.

“I think it's a chance not just for me but for everyone to go and showcase their skills to a lot of people,” the 18-year-old told RangersTV in an exclusive interview to preview the second-leg clash.

“The Youth League has got a lot of eyes on it, and you never know who's watching, so I think it'll be a good occasion for everybody.”

McGuire had to be at his best in the first leg as second-half strikes from Kyle Glasgow and Coben Fergusson left the tie firmly in balance ahead of this week’s return leg.

The teenager made a string of impressive saves, including one to thwart a fourth of the afternoon for Dynamo Kyiv just moments before Fergusson pulled another goal back in injury time.

“I think the whole game, we looked like we wanted to win the game,” McGuire continued. “There wasn't a period of the game where we thought, ‘we'll just sit back and take this’. We were pushing for the full 90 minutes, and even at half-time, we were saying to ourselves that we'll go for them, and we did. 

“In the back of our minds, though, we knew they were a very good counter-attacking team, so we expected them to sit back and hit us on the counter-attack, and that's when I had to make a couple of saves.

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McGuire in first leg action

“I think you look at the circumstances of the game and the setbacks we took; we done brilliant to get the second goal. 

“We sniffed a chance out of nothing, were ready for the goalkeeper to drop it, and he did, which is a massive goal for us going into Wednesday.”

McGuire has formed part of the first-team squad this season and has benefitted from the guidance of Allan McGregor in his new role as goalkeeping coach.

And through his father, who enjoyed a distinguished playing career, the young goalkeeper reveals he had the perfect ice-breaker when he was first formally introduced to McGregor.

“My dad scored against him,” McGuire added. “Dunfermline against Rangers, Scottish Cup in 2007, Dunfermline won 3-2. Allan was in goal that day, and my dad scored. 

“He says he doesn't remember, but I've heard that one before!

“He's a privilege to come and work with every day. He was probably my generation of Rangers goalkeepers growing up, so I watched him from a young age, and he's been really good to work under."

Continuing, McGuire said of the first-team goalkeeping department: “I've been around Liam Kelly a lot now, a wee while, probably since I came in full-time, where he's been a part of the first-team squad. 

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McGuire in first-team training

“Ivor [Pandur] came in fresh at the start of the season, a little bit later into pre-season after the World Cup, but what a goalkeeper, first of all, and a really nice guy to get along with. 

“He's not afraid to help me as a young one in what I need to do right, what I’m doing wrong, and put stuff into place. 

“He’s a completely different goalkeeper from what Jack [Butland] was, and I probably look at myself more similar to Jack in terms of build, size, and the way I move. 

“But that doesn't mean I can't take stuff from Ivor as well. It’s been good to learn from two completely different goalkeepers, and I have taken stuff into my game that Ivor does, and I took stuff into my game that Jack does.”

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