ALLAN McGREGOR celebrated a milestone birthday on Monday and at a not so tender 40 years of age, the Rangers goalkeeper is still the best man for the job.

He is arguably the Light Blues' greatest ever shot-stopper and, despite an unforced error or two, is the man for the big occasion which is why he must retain his place between the sticks at Parkhead on Wednesday night.

Let’s not beat around the bush, he cost Rangers two points on Saturday as the champions were held to a 3-3 draw with Ross County in Dingwall.

He had two uncharacteristic mistakes but he has more than enough credit in the bank to keep hold of the No.1 jersey.

Since the arrival of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, McGregor has been a consistent performer, conceding just twice in 10 games prior to Saturday, keeping eight clean sheets in the process.

Saturday’s calamities were a rarity and although they were to prove costly he has shown throughout his long and distinguished career he has the mentality and ability to bounce back.

Despite his age, this is a player who is still continually producing top-class performances befitting of a Ranger.

His contribution last season was a major factor in the club rampaging towards 55, breaking clean sheet records in the process.

He overperformed considerably, saving 5.22 goals above average (GSAA) in the Premiership.

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GSAA is defined by StatsBomb as: “How many goals did the keeper save/concede versus expectation (post-shot xG faced)? This is representative of how many goals the goalkeepers saves prevented within a season.”

This season, in the Premiership, McGregor’s GSAA has dropped off and currently stands at 2.23.

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This is still higher than the curtailed 2019-20 season when his GSAA came in at 1.36 while his first season back at Ibrox, he scored 3.55.

If we take last season as an anomaly, then his stats, this campaign, fall very much in line with his performance levels since re-joining from Hull City.

There have been calls from some quarters of the Light Blues support for Jon McLaughlin to get the nod for the trip to Parkhead, however, as much as there would be no qualms about the Scotland international starting between the sticks, there is no need for such drastic measures.

Prior to Saturday, McGregor’s only major error occurred in the 1-1 draw with Hearts at Ibrox back in October. Again, as with Ross County, it proved costly as his fumble from a Gary Mackay-Steven corner allowed former Rangers youngster Craig Halkett to nod home.

Everyone makes mistakes and goalkeepers are no different. What makes their errors stand out is the fact they generally tend to lead to goals. McGregor’s career has seen a good few of them, however, what far and away outweighs any errors is his ability to produce world-class saves in big games.

And they don’t come much bigger than the Old Firm derby.

McGregor has broken Celtic hearts on countless occasions. In recent times, who could forget his save from Leigh Griffiths at Ibrox in the 1-0 win on the 2nd of January last year. It was an incredible stop, so much so Griffiths said afterwards: “I thought it was in. But he is a world-class goalkeeper. That’s what he brings you – he wins you points.”

That’s what Allan McGregor is all about and you wouldn’t bet against him doing just that on Wednesday night.

He has the full support of his manager also, when quizzed whether he may be dropped following his mistakes at the Global Energy Stadium, van Bronckhorst responded unequivocally: “I don’t have a decision to make.

“For me, Allan is the No.1 goalkeeper. With goalkeepers, if they make a mistake, most of the time it’s crucial but I think Allan is a great goalkeeper, he’s saved us many times this season.

“It would be strange for me to get him out of the team after a game we played on Saturday. You don’t want to make mistakes on purpose, it will overcome you but Allan turned 40 yesterday so he has all the experience to overcome the situation as well.

“For me, there was no discussion to think about taking Allan out of the team.”

There is still a decision to be made come the end of the season as to whether the 40-year-old will carry on. Only McGregor will know when it’s time to hang up the gloves on what has been quite an extraordinary career. He will likely be forever remembered as Rangers' greatest ever goalkeeper but there is still life in the old dog yet and he still has an important role to play in the quest for 56.

He may make a mistake or two along the way but there is nobody more capable and well-versed in what it takes to win a title than Allan McGregor.

He is still very much Rangers’ No.1.