Glasgow Rangers ran out 5-2 winners over Dundee in an exciting match at Ibrox in their penultimate Scottish Premiership clash of the season on Thursday night.
The Light Blues went into the game knowing that anything other than a win would see their fierce rivals confirmed as league winners.
They, unfortunately, found themselves 2-0 down by the 40th minute of the outing as Dundee struck twice within two minutes.
Philippe Clement's side, however, fought back thanks to goals from Ross McCausland, Cyriel Dessers, Todd Cantwell, and two from Scott Wright.
Whilst Cantwell was the star of the second half comeback but Ross McCausland also caught the eye and both players should now be considered undroppable ahead of the final day and the SFA Cup final later this month.
Todd Cantwell's 9.6/10 Dundee masterclass
The former Norwich City attacking midfielder put on a masterclass in the attacking midfield position on Tuesday night with his sublime attacking play.
He produced a fantastic cross from the left flank to set up Dessers for the equaliser to make it 2-2, with the Nigerian striker able to guide his header into the far bottom corner.
The 26-year-old star then stepped up with a sensational finish – albeit possibly intended as a cross – from the right flank into the far top left corner to make it 3-2 and complete the comeback.
Sofascore rating
9.6
7.06
Goals
1
0.09
Assists
1
0.13
Key passes
6
1.1
Big chances created
2
0.17
As you can see in the table above, Cantwell put on a show at Ibrox with a staggering six key passes and two 'big chances' created to go alongside his goal and assist.
The English star has offered far more than Tom Lawrence usually does in that position, as shown by the statistics in the table, and should now have nailed down his place in the XI moving into the last two matches.
Lawrence has only produced two goals and three assists in 23 Premiership matches across the entire season, and Cantwell racked up almost half as many goal involvements in one match on Tuesday night.
The former Canaries whiz has now scored six goals and provided five assists in 23 league starts for the Light Blues this term, which illustrates how much more he offers than his Welsh teammate at the top end of the pitch.
He had been an unused substitute against Celtic last weekend and just proved that Clement should not drop him again, as the Gers missed his creative presence in their 2-1 defeat at Parkhead.
The Scottish giants only mustered up one shot on target in that narrow loss and the attacking midfielder has proven time and again, including against Dundee, that he has the ability to make things happen in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
That is why Clement must not drop him down to the bench, barring a fitness issue, in either of the next two matches, and moving into the 2024/25 campaign.
Why 21-year-old Ross McCausland is now undroppable
McCausland should also now be considered undroppable for the Belgian head coach after he popped up with a fantastic performance down the right flank.
Dujon Sterling's absence provided the academy graduate with an opportunity to stake a claim for his place ahead of the final two matches, and for next season, and he grasped it with both hands.
Rangers were in desperate need of a spark after the crowd began to voice their displeasure at being 2-0 down to Dundee in the first half, and the young winger was the man to step up in their time of need.
McCausland showed great invention, determination, and skill to pull one back just before half time as he capitalised on lackadaisical defensive work to steal in and prod the ball into the back of the net after a clever touch around the corner.
The 21-year-old whiz registered an 8.1 Sofascore rating out of 10 for his performance on the night, as he also went on to assist Wright's second with a quick break through the middle and pass to the Scottish forward on the left.
He completed five of his eight attempted dribbles and won seven of his 11 ground duels on the night, which speaks to his exciting and direct play as well as his desire to track back and work hard for the team.
The dynamo, who created two chances for Rangers, got the crowd on their feet with his goal, his dribbles, his assist, and his infectious work rate, which is why he should now be undroppable for Rangers.
Ross McCausland's 23/24 season in numbers
The former B team star has struggled to nail down a regular place in the lineup in the Premiership this season, with only half of his appearances coming as a starter.
He has featured in 28 league matches for the Scottish giants and started 14 of those, which shows that Clement has not yet trusted him to start week-in-week-out yet.
In those 14 starts, the talented speedster has now racked up two goals and four assists for his electric efforts, to go along with 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game.
McCausland has offered glimpses of his quality in possession as a scorer and a creator as well as off the ball with his work rate to track back and cut out opposition attacks.
The Northern Irish wizard, who scored nine goals in 41 B team matches for the academy, needs to play regularly to continue his progress and develop consistency in his game.
It is hard to be a consistent performer if you are not playing consistent minutes, due to the fluctuating game time and situations that the forward has been thrown into, and that is another reason why the manager should make him undroppable over these next two games.
Allowing McCausland to start the last two matches, making it three straight starts in total, would also provide the manager with an insight into how the youngster could cope with being a regular starter next season.
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This could then, therefore, be an opportunity for the former academy star to put his name forward to be considered a key part of the plans for the 2024/25 campaign and beyond as a starter, rather than as a back-up option.