Rangers' Connor Barron targets 'perfect' end to season by winning league title and making Scotland's World Cup squad

Rangers midfielder Connor Barron is targeting a “perfect” end to the season by winning the Scottish Premiership title and making Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for this summer’s World Cup.

The 23-year-old was influential in Danny Röhl's early weeks as Rangers head coach and has recently recovered from a knee injury which kept him out of action for more than two months.

His pre-injury form earned him consecutive late call-ups to the national team for camps in October and November - where he was part of the squad that secured a historic first World Cup qualification in 28 years with a famous 4-2 victory over Denmark at Hampden Park.

Since his return in mid-March, Barron has only featured as a substitute for his club as January signing Tochi Chukwuani remains the preferred midfield partner of Belgium international Nico Raskin.

However, the former Aberdeen man is determined to play his part in the title race and catch Clarke's eye before the trip to the USA.

If you're looking for a spot in the Scotland squad, central midfield usually isn't the best place to look. The Scots are stacked in that area of the pitch.

Napoli's title-winning duo of Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour will surely be on the plane; so too will fellow Serie A star Lewis Ferguson.

Aston Villa skipper John McGinn and Bournemouth's Ryan Christie are Premier League regulars and Scotland stalwarts, while teenager Lennon Miller has featured in 14 of Udinese's last 15 matches.

As for Kenny McLean, well, he scored THAT goal.

So where does Barron fit in?

In March, Clarke named eight midfielders in his 26-man squad for two World Cup warm-up friendly matches against Japan and Ivory Coast: the aforementioned seven plus Sparta Prague's Andy Irving.

Assuming no injuries, and that the Scotland boss goes with the same split of goalkeepers/defenders/midfielders/forwards, it's that eighth spot that Barron will be fighting for.

His competition likely includes Irving as well as an uncapped quintet of domestic players: Josh Mulligan (Hibernian), Elliot Watt (Motherwell), Marc Leonard (Hearts), Luke McCowan (Celtic) and David Watson (Kilmarnock).

With so much competition for places, what can Barron bring to the national team?