STUART McCALL is backing Nicky Law to make a fresh start down south after the midfielder was one of three players released by Rangers at the end of the season. Law has played for McCall three times in his career – at Bradford City, Motherwell and then at Ibrox last season – and his former mentor believes the 28 year-old still has plenty to offer as he reaches “the peak of his career”.

It was McCall who recommended Law to then Rangers manager Ally McCoist when it became apparent the one-time Sheffield United star would be moving on from Motherwell in 2013 and he was a regular fixture in the side as Rangers won promotion from League One and again in the Championship last season. He started strongly in this campaign under new manager Mark Warburton but, after missing two months through injury, struggled to regain his place in the side. It came as little surprise, then, when he was let go alongwith David Templeton and Nicky Clark.

McCall, though, believes Law still has plenty to offer and expects him to return to his native England after five years in Scotland.

He said: “I spoke to Nicky the other day and he’s disappointed he didn’t get more game time this season, naturally. He’s reaching the peak of his career at 28 years old and I would imagine he would go back down south now. He’s been a substitute recently and he needs to go and play. He needs to get back to doing what he did best - as he did at Motherwell and in his younger days – when he could go by people from the middle of the park. There aren’t many players you see doing that. You’ll see people pass it or run but Nicky can go by people. He needs to get that back into his game as he’s still got all the ability and he’s a good finisher. He’ll do well wherever he ends up next.”

McCall reckoned Law would have no regrets about his time at Ibrox. He added: “He started well at Rangers and did well for me last year as well. And even this season at the start it was him, Jason Holt and Andy Halliday playing in there so he started really well. And then Gedion Zelalem came into the side and Nicky got injured so over the last six months it’s not really worked for him.

“I recommended him to Rangers when Coisty was there and Ally spoke to me about him. They were playing in the lower leagues but it was a no-brainer for Nicky and he’s had some wonderful experiences and earned a few bob no doubt too. He’ll look back on it as a great experience and I can see him going down to England now and doing well again down there.”

McCall believes Rangers’ signing of Joey Barton, allied to Brendan Rodgers becoming the new Celtic manager, will help give Scottish football another lift ahead of the new campaign. He added: “You look at what’s been happening at the Old Firm. A new Celtic manager has come in who I’m sure would have been their supporters’ preferred choice and probably the players’ too. And then Rangers get Joey Barton. I was reading his comments and he’s ticked all the boxes with everything he’s said. He’s hungry, he wants to be the best player in the league and he’s only 33 – it’s not as if he’s winding down. That’s all exciting and I still think there will be still more stories to come from them over the summer. Looking ahead to the new season, these new names have shaken everything up a bit and that’s what it maybe needed.”

McCall is still part of Gordon Strachan’s backroom team with Scotland but is still hopeful of getting back into full-time management soon, having been linked this week with the Inverness Caley vacancy. He added: “I've had three or four opportunities north and south of the border which I've thought long and hard about. If you wait forever for the ideal job, you'll still be waiting. Just having a few days on the training field here, that's where I want to be. I want to be working with players again.”