Ross McCausland

Ross McCausland (born 12 May 2003) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays for club Rangers and the Northern Ireland national team.

Club career
McCausland joined the Rangers Academy from Northern Irish side Linfield in the summer of 2019 for £60,000. In 2021, he signed a contract extension with the club running until 2024.

Having been selected regularly for the club's B-team in the 2021–22 season (featuring in the UEFA Youth League as well as the Lowland League and Challenge Cup), McCausland made his first team debut for Rangers on 14 May 2022, replacing Amad as a 61st-minute substitute during a 3–1 win over Heart of Midlothian; he set up fellow debutant Cole McKinnon for his first goal. He continued to be a B-team player during the 2022–23 season and made only one senior appearance, being used as a late substitute by manager Michael Beale in a league match away to Hibernian on 21 May 2023.

After the sacking of Beale during the 2023–24 season, McCausland started to get a run of games under interim manager Steven Davis and then the new permanent manager Philippe Clement. On 5 October 2023, he made his first appearance against Cypriot side Aris Limassol in the UEFA Europa League, coming on as an 84th minute substitute for Scott Wright.

McCausland impressed supporters with his performance off the bench against Hearts in October 2023; he was denied a first Rangers goal in a victory over Livingston in a Scottish Premiership fixture, with the strike ruled out for a foul by Abdallah Sima in the build-up.

McCausland signed a new four-year contract with Rangers on 28 November 2023 and was promoted to the first-team squad permanently. Two days later he celebrated with a first goal for the club against Aris Limassol, after coming in as a first half substitute for Todd Cantwell. On 17 December, McCausland started in the Scottish League Cup final against Aberdeen, and won his first trophy when Rangers captain James Tavernier scored the only goal of the match.

McCausland scored his first Premiership goal against Kilmarnock on 2 January 2024, but a run of starting appearances ended when he was injured by a tackle from Motherwell defender Dan Casey on 2 March, causing him to miss several fixtures; when he returned to fitness he was again among the substitutes. He was nominated for the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, but lost out to David Watson of Kilmarnock.

International career
McCausland played regularly for Northern Ireland as a youth internationalist. On 14 November 2023, he received his first call-up to the Northern Ireland senior team for a round of UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches. Three days later he made his debut against Finland, starting in a 4–0 defeat.

Honours
Rangers
 * Scottish League Cup: 2023–24