CAPTAIN TAV IS THE BEALE DEAL

Former Ibrox star MacKinnon believes James is perfect man to lead new group

- CRAIG SWAN

JAMES TAVERNIER has been cited as the perfect man to lead the next stage of Michael Beale's revolution as he celebrates his fifth anniversary as skipper of Rangers.

The Englishman has been through plenty at Ibrox since being appointed club captain by former boss Steven Gerrard.

Tavernier had stood in as skipper at the end of the previous term after Lee Wallace had been axed following a bust-up with then boss Graeme Murty.

But it was July 6, 2018 when he played his first game with the official club honour in a 6-0 friendly success over Bury, which marked the on-pitch start of Gerrard's reign.

The 31-year-old has been through many changes since arriving in Glasgow in the Mark Warburton era.

Going into his ninth season at the club since switching from Wigan, there is another fresh dynamic around Ibrox with Beale reshaping the squad. Summer signings such as Jack Butland, on the back of January arrivals Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell, have lifted anticipation heading into a campaign now less than a month away.

Cyriel Dessers is set to join Sam Lammers and further boost the attacking options in another exciting move, with preseason training already under way.

But it is Tavernier who will lead the new-look group into battle and, with half a decade as the squad figurehead under his belt, Dave MacKinnon believes there is no one better to do it than the Hall of Famer.

The former Ibrox right-back said: "He's a great captain and players within Rangers look up to him.

"One of the things you always look for or say about a captain is, 'What does he contribute to the team?".