John Souttar has had a torrid time in his first season as a Rangers player.
After an outstanding year for Hearts, the 25-year old Scotland international had to go under the knife before the ink had even dried on his pre-contract agreement.
Arriving for pre-season training injured was never going to end well and John Souttar is only now showing Rangers fans what he is truly capable of.
Connor Goldson jumped to Souttar’s defence after matchday one when the Rangers summer signing came under fire.
A mistake just two minutes into his debut saw Livingston take a shock and early lead.
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It would be the last time that we would see him until recent weeks after going off at half-time and not returning.
As well as Goldson, Heart and Hand’s David Edgar has also been singing John Souttar’s praises after he picked up the man of the match award against Hibs.
Rangers fans knew he was a good player but, perhaps, they didn’t quite fully appreciate just how good he really was.
John Souttar can be a quality player for Rangers with a bit of luck
We all know that Souttar’s Achilles heel is literally that, a series of Achilles injuries that has curtailed his playing time since making his debut as a 16-year old for Dundee United ten years ago.
For perspective, James Tavernier played his 400th game for Rangers against Hibs, Souttar is some 150 games behind the skipper in terms of overall appearances in Scotland despite being around for a lot longer.
Michael Beale has spoken about signing another centre-half and, hopefully, it will be someone who will compliment Souttar, not see him sitting on the bench.
This also suggests that Ben Davies might not be for this parish for much longer because, in terms of quality, our three senior stoppers are more than adequate to build a team around.
Goldson and Souttar looked very impressive as a pairing and, in terms of injuries, we deserve that bit of luck needed to see them available together more often.
If anyone in particular deserves a break, it’s John Souttar.