I think that Bruno Alves is going to be an invaluable help to his younger countryman Fabio Cardoso, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how their partnership develops at Rangers.

Alves is the no-nonsense sort of defender that I like, and by all accounts, Cardoso is more of a footballer, so they could complement each other well.

It might be a big step for the 23-year-old to come over to Glasgow Rangers having played his full career in Portugal to date, but this is where the older head of Alves can be priceless.

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In relatively recent history, you just have to look at the influence that Davie Weir had on a young Danny Wilson. He made him a player that was good enough for Liverpool to come calling by talking him through games, and working with him in training.

I remember the first game I played at centre-half was a reserve game down at Ayr. I’d never played there for Rangers before.

There were three or four first-team players working their way back from injury, so I was on the bench, but big Colin Jackson picked up another injury and Willie Waddell said to me: “You ever tried playing at centre-half?”

I mumbled something about playing everywhere when I was at school, and he threw me in to see what I could do.

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Davy Smith was there in the reserves at the time, who was a very experienced man, and he talked me through the whole game.

He showed me what to do. If I was going forward too much he would be right on to me and telling me to get back and be a defender and pick up my man, and giving me wee pointers along the way.

I was always getting spoken to by an experienced player, and that is the best thing in the world for a youngster, to be out there doing it alongside a man who can talk you through the game.

That’s why I enjoyed the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1972, even as a young player playing at centre-half. Who was I playing alongside? Davy Smith, and that made me so confident because I knew he was there.

You need players who have been there, seen it and done it, and Cardoso having his elder countryman – an international player of great standing- in there beside him can only help him as he settles into life at Rangers and continues his development as a player.