Rangers have lacked a real Jack of all trades since Davis left for Southampton in 2012 – until former Aberdeen skipper Ryan rocked up at Ibrox.
Rangers’ 4-1 hammering of Dundee on Saturday saw three players dominate the headlines, and rightly so. Alfredo ‘El Bufalo’ Morelos scored a brace for the second game in succession to take his tally to five in seven, Josh Windass continued his resurgence with another strike and Daniel Candeias created chance after chance from the right.
However, it was the performance of central midfielder Ryan Jack that once again went under the radar. The influential 25-year-old, who arrived from Aberdeen this summer on a free transfer, continues to look like one of the best value signings of the transfer window.
After five years of waiting, it appears that Rangers finally have a midfielder capable of filling the sizeable void left by Steven Davis.
The boyhood Gers fan arrived from Fulham for £3 million in 2008 (BBC), winning the league on three occasions and even captaining the side before the Ibrox giant’s 2012 demotion paved the way for his departure to Southampton.
Davis is a player renowned for his versatility and ability to do everything asked of him in midfield – pass, run, score and tackle. And, fittingly, Rangers’ summer signing looks like the Jack of all trades the club has missed since Davis returned to England.
Providing that balance in midfield, Jack allowed Windass to burst forwards at will against Dundee while allowing Graham Dorrans and Niko Kranjcar to wield their creative talents with little concern for what is going on behind them.
Jack was not Rangers’ most eye-catching summer arrival but the former Dons skipper may be the most important.
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