With the ever-present Sean McLoughlin's position up for grabs following the expiration of his loan deal from Hull City, McCarthy could be in line for a start against Steven Gerrard's side.

It's quite a change of pace from the League of Ireland pre-seasons he's used to at this time of year.

“It’s unbelievable I could make my debut at Ibrox. When you compare Ibrox to some of the stadiums out in Ireland, [going from] playing in front of 20 or 30 people to playing in front of 50,000 would be a baptism of fire," McCarthy told the Daily Record.

“It would be amazing to make my debut at Ibrox. In Scotland, I’ll be playing in some big games compared to Ireland.

“I’m not saying there’s not quality in the League of Ireland, but compared to the Scottish Premiership it’s night and day. To go to playing against 20, 25 million pound players is a big step up.

“Being able to test myself against European-standard players already will only help me going into games against the big boys.”

Had City overcome Luxembourgeois opponents Progrès Niederkorn last summer, that Ibrox bow would've come much earlier.

“There wasn’t a word spoken in the dressing room afterwards. That was the prize, the Rangers game. We definitely would have sold out Turner's Cross.

“I’m sure there would have been a lot of Irish interest as well. I suppose, from a selfish point of view, I get to play against them now, and Celtic and Aberdeen and so on, which will be pleasing.”