Steven Gerrard should be plotting January pre-contract to bring Lewis Macleod back to Rangers

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Rangers saw midfielder Lewis Macleod leave Ibrox almost four years ago.

Rangers capped off their summer transfer business on Monday, snapping up defender Gareth McAuley on a free transfer, making him arrival number 15 under new boss Steven Gerrard.

The Gers had already brought in Allan McGregor, Jon Flanagan, Joe Worrall, Nikola Katic, Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Lassana Coulibaly, Scott Arfield, Ovie Ejaria, Jamie Murphy, Ryan Kent, Eros Grezda, Umar Sadiq and Kyle Lafferty before signing McAuley too.

Gerrard’s squad now appears to be fairly well-rounded, but if Sunday’s 1-0 Old Firm derby defeat to Celtic showed anything, it’s that Rangers are still lacking a playmaking midfielder to keep possession and create in the final third.

Ovie Ejaria is only on loan, and with Graham Dorrans almost perpetually injured, it’s imperative that Rangers do find a creative central midfielder in 2019 – and one ex-Rangers ace should fit the bill.

Last month, Brentford ace Lewis Macleod admitted that he wants to return to Rangers one day, having left the club in January 2015 in order to make the move to Griffin Park.

The boyhood Gers fans came up through the Ibrox ranks, and earned his move after 16 goals in 74 games for Rangers, but has been limited to just over 30 appearances in the last four years after injury woes with Brentford.

Now fit and firing, the 24-year-old has already notched two goals and one assist in six Championship appearances this term, showing that he still has great quality even after his injury hell.

The problem for Brentford is that Macleod’s contract expires next summer, meaning he would be able to sign for a non-English club on a pre-contract agreement in January…and Rangers fit the bill.

Bringing Macleod back for free would be a major coup from Gerrard, and whilst the summer transfer window has only just ended, Rangers should already be planning a pre-contract offer to bring Macleod back to Ibrox, bolstering the midfield with such a move.