Would Danny Wilson’s Rangers exit hand Fabio Cardoso a second chance?

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Graeme Murty might be forced to put his faith in summer signing Fabio Cardoso with Danny Wilson set to swap Scottish Premiership giants Rangers for the MLS.

Rangers looked in danger of losing David Bates at the end of the season, with the Daily Record reporting that Sunderland were keen to sign the centre-back with his contract running down.

But it appears that another defender has beaten Bates to the exit. As reported by the Daily Record (live blog, 9.22am), Danny Wilson is set to swap Ibrox for the MLS and is due to undertake a medical with Colorado Rapids.

Wilson, who is arguably enjoying the most impressive form of his career and showing why Liverpool signed him from Hearts eight years ago, could be badly missed. He has been a key player for Graeme Murty and his sudden and unexpected exit could rob Rangers of their best defender.

As such, with the Glasgow giants a centre-back short, Murty might be forced to put a little more faith in forgotten man Fabio Cardoso, with no suggestions as yet that anyone will be arriving at Ibrox to replace Wilson.

Cardoso, a £1.3 million summer signing from Vitoria Setubal, has struggled to deal with the pace and physicality of the British game and lost his place in recent weeks.

In fact, the 23-year-old has not started a league fixture since October. But despite being linked with a return to Portugal, Cardoso told the Scottish Sun earlier this month that he wants to stay and fight for his place.

“I don’t want to give up,” he said. “I could give up and try to find another team. But playing for Rangers is going to help me a lot in my career.

“I’m learning a lot here, even when I’m not playing. This is the right place for me to develop as a footballer, as a person and to be successful. If the manager wants me here, I want to stay.”

Cardoso still has Ross McCrorie, Bruno Alves and, for now, Bates all ahead of him in the pecking order.

But his hopes of making a success of his time in Scotland may be aided by Wilson’s impending exit.