GIOVANNI van Bronckhorst explained Allan McGregor's "invaluable experience and leadership" made offering a new deal a no-brainer at Ibrox.
Veteran keeper McGregor, 40, today signed a one-year extension at Ibrox as any talk of retirement was thrown out as he competes for another season as No1.
And Van Bronckhorst was thrilled to see McGregor sign on for another term in Glasgow both for his influence off the pitch and his performances on the park.
Rangers boss Van Bronckhorst was reported to have been ready to hand Jon McLaughlin the starting spot in goal next season - but he's backed McGregor to continue playing as he hailed the experienced stopper as a "valuable asset in a playing-sense".
However, just as vital is McGregor's role in implementing the culture at the club as Van Bronckhorst insisted the keeper "really understands the club" and highlighted the importance of that fact in the new contract announcement.
Explaining the decision to hand McGregor a new deal, Van Bronckhorst said: “Allan brings us invaluable experience and leadership both on and off the pitch, and I am really pleased he has chosen to stay with us for another year.
“I have been really impressed with the positive influence he has on our players, and also the dedication he has shown to still be a valuable asset for us in a playing-sense at the age of 40.
"I feel it is important to have players in our dressing room who really understand the club, and Allan certainly is one of them."
And McGregor revealed he's now got his heart set on playing as long as he's physically able after considering his future during the off-season.
He added: “I’m obviously delighted. At the end of last season, there were a lot of games and a lot of concentration on the games.
“I then had a couple of weeks’ holiday and really thought about it and spoke to a lot of people about it, and everybody said to play as long as you can.
“After the break, that’s what I was thinking myself, so here we are.”
