DEAN SHIELS believes John Eustace can be the father-figure leader that Rangers need to drive their bid to return to Scotland’s top flight as Lad-brokes Championship winners.

It may seem self-defeating that Shiels is supporting an additional signing for an already-congested Rangers midfield given that he has yet to nail down a regular slot.

However, having played against the 35-year-old in England’s second tier and worked with him in training at Murray Park, Shiels believes Eustace has a huge role to play in the Mark Warburton revolution.

The former Derby County and Watford star has been working on his fitness at the Milngavie training ground and could sign a deal by the end of this week.

Shiels said: “I’ve played against John in England when he was at Watford and Derby. He’s a very good player and he brings a wealth of experience.

“He’s had a few injury problems of late, but hopefully once he’s fit he can be an addition. I don’t know his personal situation and I don’t know if he’s close to signing, but I know he’s a good player and he’ll have a lot to offer if he does sign.

“He’s been at a few clubs and he was a player who was always difficult to play against.

“You can tell from speaking to him about the game that he’s got a lot of knowledge about it. He’s got positive things to offer the group, and if that works out, he’ll be a great addition.

“He’s a typical midfielder, he can sit, he can get in the box and score goals, but he’s probably best as a sitting midfielder.

“He’s also been captain at nearly every club he’s been at, so those leadership qualities will be key going into the season. His experience can be a help, he has a lot of knowledge and has a lot to offer on the park.”

Shiels feels invigorated under new boss Warburton, having had a tough time in the previous three seasons.

He came off the bench with half an hour to go and played a key role in the 6-2 demolition of Hibs in the Petrofac Cup, started the League Cup win over Peterhead then came on last Friday night to score in the 3-1 league-opening win over St Mirren.

Shiels is also relishing the unity among the supporters who packed out Ibrox for the Saints game and seem completely behind what Warburton is trying to do. He said: “It’s been a good start for the team as a whole. We were happy to get through the first two cup games and then a win in the first league game, so things have started really positively.

“The fans have been brilliant, behind us from the start. The atmosphere on Friday night is something the lads will remember for a long time.

“Hopefully we can have a few more of those occasions. They’re the best fans in the world when they’re behind you, they’re phenomenal.

“You could see that on the park, players were giving everything they’ve got for the fans and you can see the unity between the players, fans and staff, and if we’re all pushing in the same direction, it’s really good for the rest of the season.

“You don’t want to dwell too much on the past, but there was a lot of uncertainty. But now you can see the whole club’s moving in the same direction and that can only be beneficial.

“I think we need to make people have that fear factor coming to Ibrox, knowing they’ll have to deal with the crowd and the players on the pitch, making it as difficult as possible. You saw it was difficult for St Mirren and hope-fully we can continue that.”

Shiels is now hoping to hold down a slot in Sunday’s live TV clash at Alloa and doesn’t feel he is only vying with Jason Holt for the right midfield position.

Having spoken with Warburton, he knows what the manager wants of him and he feels he can operate in a number of different roles.

He said: “There’s a big squad and a lot of players who can play that position. There’s going to be competition for places and that can only benefit the team as a whole if the team is firing on all cylinders.

“I think the manager sees me in one of the positions in midfield. Obviously he wants us to play a certain way, he wants a lot of rotation in midfield, a lot of energy, getting in the box, getting back into your shape.

“That’s part of the game I enjoy doing, so hopefully the way he wants me to play can benefit me.”

Rangers will train on the synthetic surface at the Indodrill Stadium to prepare for Sunday’s meeting with Alloa.

He added: “It’ll give the new guys a feel for the surroundings and the surface. We’ve had a few tough games there in the past. It’s completely different to playing at Ibrox, but Alloa are in this league in their own right and they deserve respect and we know we’re going to get a really tough game there.

“We’re going to have to match them in every department to try to win the game.”

lDean Shiels was talking in support of the Rangers Youth Development Company. Rangers fans can support the Rangers Youth Development Company in a variety of ways – full details on Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards, Stadium Bricks and other initiatives can be found at www.rangers lotto.co.uk