McLeish: De Boer may still play on

Rangers manager Alex McLeish reckons Ronald de Boer might be tempted to shelve retirement plans by the prospect of more silverware with the Ibrox club.

The Dutchman has hinted he may quit the game at the end of next season, when he will be 34.

Years of high-pressure football have taken their toll on the playmaker but McLeish feels de Boer’s self-belief might end up propelling his top-level career even further.

He said: “You can’t rule out Ronald staying here and extending for another year. It depends on how he feels himself as he has been at the cutting edge his whole career, at Ajax and Barcelona.

“He won the European Cup at a young age and has experienced pressure football for the last 12 years.

“There have been high expectation levels and if you can stay in the game at the high standard that he has, there must be a tough mentality in there somewhere.

“It just depends on how passionate the individual is about continuing to play. If they still have the drive and the fire in their belly then that has got to be the main ingredient.”

But with Rangers currently labouring under a debt of more than £52m (€79.5m) and soon-to-be-out-of-contract players wondering if they will be offered new deals, it was unsurprising that talks about an extension had yet to begin.

McLeish said: “We have kidded him on about the retiring stuff and Ronald has taken it all in his stride, but we have never actually sat down.

“I think just now, with the players who are out of contract, it is hard enough to assure them that there is a future at Ibrox.

“The only thing I can tell them is to keep playing to the standards that they have set and make it as hard as possible for me to let them go.

“So until we deal with those guys, it is difficult to talk to guys who have still got a couple of years to go.”

Rangers will have a chance to qualify for the Champions League next season even if they are pipped by Celtic in the championship race and the chance of European glory might tempt de Boer to stay longer.

McLeish said: “I think that might be a factor.”

De Boer has been operating as a striker in recent weeks in the absence of Shota Arveladze, Peter Lovenkrands and new signing Steven Thompson at various times, with the latter pair still unavailable for today’s visit of Aberdeen.

McLeish said: “His presence up there has been vital for us this season.

“It wasn’t something we had planned in the summer but after lengthy discussions with Jan (Wouters, the first team coach) and Andy (Watson, the assistant manager), we felt it was something we should try and it has worked out well for us.

“His form has been very consistent.”