Defender Gareth McAuley will seize his Rangers opportunity

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Rangers defender Gareth McAuley has been a fringe player since his summer arrival and made just two first-team appearances.

The 38-year-old was added to Steven Gerrard’s squad to provide an experienced option after a successful career in England in the Premier League and Championship.

He has mainly been on the sidelines, with the likes of Connor Goldson, Nikola Katic and Joe Worrall competing for the centre-back positions.

But Gerrard has admitted that Rangers are going to require McAuley during a busy fixture list, with the Gers facing 11 fixtures before the end of the year.

“Gareth McAuley has been getting game minutes recently, he will certainly be needed in the next few weeks. The idea is always to have two good players in each position pushing for a spot,” Gerrard said in a press conference, as quoted by the club’s official Twitter account.

McAuley may be in the latter stages of his career and yet to really make his mark at Rangers, but there is every chance he can light up Ibrox when his chance arises.

The Northern Ireland international impressed during the break with an appearance against Austria and is still a commanding centre-back.

The no-nonsense defender is exceptional in the air and his leadership is a real bonus to the Light Blues when he is on the pitch.

Rangers made a significant amount of signings in the summer and McAuley may still be the ace up Gerrard’s sleeve.

The Gers boss has tried a variety of centre-back combinations already this campaign and it wuld be no surprise to see McAuley throw his name into the hat for a regular role when he gets a chance.