FAR more experienced, not to mention expensive, players than Glen Kamara have signed for Rangers over the years and been, for a multitude of different reasons, unable to either settle or shine.

So there is no guarantee the midfielder, who was signed from Dundee for a £50,000 fee with just a few hours of the January transfer window remaining late on Thursday evening, will enjoy success at Ibrox in the future.

With Scott Arfield, Lassana Coulibaly, Steven Davis, Ryan Jack and Ross McCrorie all vying for a start in Steven Gerrard’s side in his position, he will certainly have his work cut out getting game time in the months ahead.

Yet, Alex Rae, a man who showed he was able to cope with the considerable demands of representing the Glasgow giants, is one of many involved in the Scottish game who is anticipating great things from the Finnish internationalist in the coming seasons.

Kamara has, despite coming through the youth ranks at Arsenal, still to prove himself at the highest level. He has spent the last three years playing for Southend and Colchester in the lower leagues down south as well as in the nether reaches of the top flight in this country. Turning out for a club who are expected to challenge for silverware and compete in Europe, then, will be a considerable step up.

Rae, however, saw evidence during the summer that the promising 23-year-old is more than capable of squaring up to quality continental opposition and holding his own.

The Radio Clyde pundit was in the Algarve at the same time Dundee, the club he both played for and managed for two seasons, were there for pre-season training and went along to see them play friendly games against Portuguese opposition.

“Without being disrespectful to my old club, Kamara was the only one who could really handle the ball against far superior players,” he said. “They really struggled. They got passed to death. Technically, though, Kamara was very good. In terms of ability I liked what I saw. It was a good indication that he can play at a far higher standard.”

Rae, who played for Millwall, Sunderland and Wolves in England before joining his beloved Rangers, believes the Finn, who is of Sierra Leonean descent, must now show he has mental resolve as well to flourish in Govan.

“Steven Gerrard saw potential and will want to develop that,” he said. “He has clearly seen the boy can play football. He is one for the longer term. It isn’t going to bankrupt Rangers if it doesn’t work out. He hasn’t cost a fortune.

“Does he have the drive, the character, the ability to grab a game by the scruff of the neck? How he does depends on where he goes in terms of his temperament. Time will tell whether this boy can do it.

“He is going into an environment where there are guys who have been playing at a good level. Steven Davis and Scott Arfield are in there. Ryan Jack too. It is going to be difficult for him to make a mark. But if he has character then he will feature. He is going to have to show that leadership and marry it together with his attributes on the ball.”

Rae expects Kamara to mature and improve as a result of training and playing alongside gifted professionals like Arfield, Davis and Jack, not to mention under Gerrard and his assistant Gary McAllister, at Rangers.

He was convinced he was a decent midfielder when he moved from Falkirk to Millwall back in 1990. Playing with the likes of Terry Hurlock and Garry Waddock and for Bruce Rioch at The Den quickly made him realise he had much still to learn.

“When I look back, what my team mates said to me at certain points helped me in situations I encountered in my career, not necessarily at that time,” he said. “I think Steven Gerrard will do that for Kamara. Gary McAllister too. The two for them have both spent time at the top of the tree. If you are a midfielder joining Rangers you couldn’t ask for more.

“I learned from guys like Terry Hurlock and Gary Waddock at Millwall. When people think of Terry they think of him kicking people. But he taught me how to deal with the unglamorous side of the game. The hard work element, tracking runners back and things like that which often go unseen.

“In my mind, I always justified my performances with goals. But in order to get to the top you have to be a more rounded player. I started tracking back, matching runners, organising my team mates, being more vocal. He was instrumental in that.

“Those guys were very good in terms of the information they gave you, how they delivered it and at keeping you in check. I thought I had served an apprenticeship with Falkirk. But the higher up you go you realise better players are more intelligent and can make far cleverer runs. It is a learning curve.”

Rae continued: “Three or four months into my time at Millwall I was still messing about on the ball whenever I was 30 or 40 yards from goal. One day I got dispossessed. Bruce Rioch, our manager, took me off after 25 minutes.

“He told me in no uncertain terms that sort of carry on wouldn’t be allowed on his watch. By the way, what a great learning experience that was. I never did it again. Not only that, some of the older players went right through me as well.

“When I went and coached at Dundee I hoped that I could give a guy like Kevin MacDonald snippets that would help him in the same way that Terry and Gary had given me invaluable pieces of advice. Hopefully they did.

“This boy will pick these things up along the way at Rangers. He has a foundation on which he can become a good footballer. There are so many facets to becoming a good midfielder.”