Lawrence Shankland has been named the new captain of Rangers, taking over the leadership role from James Tavernier. The 30-year-old Scotland striker expressed that this appointment surpasses his childhood aspirations of representing the club he supported growing up.
Shankland arrived at Ibrox just two months ago following a successful stint at Hearts, where he netted 88 goals in 171 appearances. He replaces Tavernier, a veteran who served the club for 11 years and guided the team to several major domestic trophies and a Europa League final.
Reflecting on the new responsibility, Shankland noted that he aims to lead by example both on the training ground and throughout the club’s daily operations. He emphasized that the leadership burden is shared with experienced teammates like Dan Neil and Ben Godfrey. This leadership change occurs just two days before manager Derek McInnes leads the team into their Scottish Premiership season opener against Dundee United this Friday.
