Shankland’s mentality coach John Johnstone has backed the Scotland striker to step up and take the armband at Rangers under new boss Danny Rohl.
Johnstone, who has spent the last four years working closely with Shankland, believes the striker carries all the qualities required to lead the Ibrox club.
The move to Rangers already carries enormous weight for Shankland, given he is joining the club he supported as a boy throughout his childhood.
Speculation surrounding the captaincy has grown following James Tavernier’s departure from Ibrox, leaving a significant leadership void for Rohl to fill this summer.
Johnstone made clear where his thinking lies, saying: “I’ve no idea who will get the privilege of becoming the new Rangers captain.”
He added: “But from what I know of Lawrence and the body of work he had as Hearts captain both in terms of his performance level and how he conducted himself and also the connection the fans seem to have with him, I could see lots of reasons why Danny Rohl would give Lawrence serious consideration.”
Johnstone expressed total confidence in Shankland’s ability to rise to any new challenge placed in front of him throughout his career.
“Every other step up he’s been asked to make in his career, he’s made, so why not another?” Johnstone said.
Johnstone currently works with around 20 clients across the Scottish Premiership, including Shankland’s new Ibrox team-mate Connor Barron.
Despite the clear demand for mental resilience support in the game, Johnstone admits he remains surprised that more professional players are not seeking similar help.
He explained that when clubs the size of Rangers and Celtic sign a player, thorough tactical and technical checks are completed, yet mental readiness is often overlooked entirely.
“I would argue that the vast majority of players who fall short at Rangers and Celtic and clubs of that magnitude, it’s not a tactical or technical issue,” Johnstone said.
He continued: “It might look like that, but the vast majority will be what’s going on between the ears.”
Johnstone outlined the specific pressures players face, asking: “Can you deal with the pressure? Can you deal with the scrutiny? Can you deal with what goes with being a player at a top club?”
He warned that many players arrive at big clubs without properly preparing themselves mentally for the demands and intense scrutiny that follow them daily.
“Some players think that, ‘Ah, well, I’ve trained all my life and I’ve been on a football pitch for my previous club, so it’s fine. Football’s just football,'” Johnstone said.
He described how stepping up a level means training alongside better players and entering environments filled with bigger personalities and stronger characters.
Johnstone explained the psychological spiral that can follow: “Now it’s about ‘what does he think of me? What does the manager think?'”
His core message to any player navigating that pressure is straightforward and direct: “Instead of trying to protect yourself, you’ve got to go out there and express yourself.”
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