SpotlightDaily Mail FootballUnverified source· 29 Jul 2026
Shankland's Scrapheap to Rangers Captain Journey
A brush with the football scrapheap at 21 paved the way for Lawrence Shankland's rise to Rangers captain.
L. Shankland
player
Age
29
Position
Forward
Club
Rangers
Key moment
Released by Aberdeen in 2017 without a single goal
What happened. Lawrence Shankland reflects on his career turnaround after being released by Aberdeen in 2017, eventually becoming Rangers captain.
- Shankland scored no goals in four years at Aberdeen.
- Ian McCall signed him for Ayr United in League One in September 2017.
- He later starred for Ayr, Dundee United, Hearts, and Beerschot.
“Those experiences were huge turning points in my career.”
— Lawrence Shankland
Shankland now leads Rangers under former Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes.
In this story
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BBC Sport
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