Emerging Northern Ireland star Charlie McCann has been backed to fill the role of Steven Davis at Rangers if the veteran midfielder leaves Ibrox this summer.
Davis, 37, is set for contract talks with Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson in the coming days.
The Northern Ireland captain made just 13 appearances in the Premiership last season but played a prominent role in Saturday's Scottish Cup win over Hearts.
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Davis also scored a penalty in the club's agonising shootout defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in last week's Europa League final.
Northern Ireland's record caps holder won't be short of offers if he leaves Glasgow, with Motherwell and St Mirren interested if he doesn’t agree a new Ibrox deal.
If he leaves, rising prospect McCann could be handed a more prominent role by Van Bronckhorst.
The 20-year-old earned some game time in Rangers' Premiership run-in, featuring in games against Dundee United and Hearts.
And fans have been impressed by McCann's cameo appearances so far, and they expect to see more next season and beyond.
The FootballFanCast website believes the midfielder possesses the ability to fill any void left in Rangers' midfield if Davis leaves.
Reflecting on that final league game of the season against Hearts, they said: "Van Bronckhorst mixed in a few of the more experienced heads alongside them as Steven Davis captained the side in the middle of the park.
"He is out of contract this summer and the dream heir to his place in the squad can be unearthed in one of the B team gems – McCann.
"Davis may be on his way out of the club at the end of the season and Rangers can instantly replace him without bringing in a new signing by promoting the 20-year-old – signed from Manchester United in 2021 – into the first-team set-up on a regular basis.
"Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough recently claimed that the midfielder will be "desperate" to get game time in his bid to make it at senior level and he got his chance off the bench against Hearts at the weekend.
"Journalist Mark McDougall has dubbed him a "terrific footballer" and he showed glimpses of his quality in the Premiership clash."
FootballFanCast added: "In 45 minutes on the pitch, McCann won 100% (3/3) of his individual duels as he made three tackles in midfield – as per SofaScore. He also completed 87 per cent of his passes and only gave possession away four times in the second half as he showcased both his tenacity and his quality on the ball.
"Davis, meanwhile, has completed 88 per cent of his attempted passes in the league this season and made 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game.
"Both players are comfortable passers of the ball who can also win possession back to set their team away on the pitch, at the opposite sides of their respective careers."
McCann is a former Manchester United graduate who recently switched from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.
The young midfielder admitted legend Davis played a leading role in convincing him to swap the FAI for Irish FA.
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