GARETH MCAULEY reckons Rangers’ experienced stars will lead the way for their Ibrox counterparts after he was reunited with countryman Steven Davis in Light Blue.
The defender joined his boyhood heroes in the summer as he agreed a one-year deal following his departure from West Bromwich Albion.
And Davis has now followed him across the border as he clinched his return to the Gers seven years after he left to join Premier League outfit Southampton.
At 39 and 36 respectively, the Northern Irish pair are two of the most experienced players in Steven Gerrard’s squad, alongside the likes of Allan McGregor and Jermain Defoe.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard rules out a Rangers cameo in friendly with Helsinki at Ibrox
And McAuley is determined to continue leading by example as Rangers prepare for their Scottish Cup fourth round clash away to Cowdenbeath this evening.
He said: “He’s a great player and absolutely delighted to be back here. I know from my experience at West Brom last year how tough it is to go from being a regular to not being involved.
“He was getting frustrated down there and coming up here gives him a lease of life with the size of the club and the excitement around it and the chance to win trophies again. Davo is really buzzing.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard prepares for step into the unknown as Rangers face Cowdenbeath
“Obviously, you’ve got the young kids around you and you’re constantly trying to prove to them and show them if they do this and that they can still reach a level.
“I’m twice the age of some of the lads - my shin pads are older… look, I’m not daft enough to think you can go on forever.
“But if you do the right things and always progress and find little bits to help you then you can keep up with the younger ones and sometimes be even better than them.
“Davo didn’t need any encouragement to come back. He had a great time here and the frustrations at Southampton meant he wanted a fresh challenge and when Rangers asked him to come there was no other place he was going to come to.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here