Scott McMann shoots down Rangers 'free hit' narrative as Dundee United star insists Ibrox clash presents big chance

Scott McMann insists there is no such thing as a free hit when Dundee United are fighting for their Premiership lives.

The Tangerines travel to Ibrox and very few people outside of Jim Goodwin’s away dressing room expect them to put points on the board on Saturday afternoon. United are in a perilous position, bottom of the league and three points from safety, and McMann knows that with nine games left now it is all about survival of the fittest.

That means going to Rangers looking for the win or in the worst-case scenario coming away with something. Defender McMann said: “It’s not a free hit for us going to Ibrox. We feel like we can get something from the game. We’ve performed well at the big stadiums, Ibrox and Parkhead, so we’re looking to turn that into a result on Saturday and we will be hoping we can. We can’t let opportunities pass us by. This is an opportunity to go and get a result against Rangers. We’re more than capable and looking to do that.”

United have drawn their last two games but McMann knows that it will be wins that will make all the difference. He added: “Everybody knows where we are. We know where we are and we know what we need to do to get out of it. We feel we have more than enough. It’s just about looking forward to the games and getting up the table.

“We all are surprised but it can happen because it’s a difficult league and for one reason or another it hasn’t gone our way so far. But there’s still plenty of time to put that right and get up the table.”

The 26-year-old has tasted Premiership relegation previously with Hamilton two years ago, before he moved to Tannadice. That was one of the low points of the full-back’s career and McMann is determined not to go through that pain and heartbreak