KENNY MILLER insists Aaron Ramsey must start for Rangers in the Europa League final if he is fully fit.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have a selection headache for the Frankfurt showdown, but Miller reckons nine players are already stick-ons to start.
Writing in the Daily Record, he said: "When Giovanni van Bronckhorst sits down to pick his Europa League Final team there will be TWO spots up for grabs.
"For me, nine names are nailed down to start against Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville on Wednesday night.
"At the back, Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson and Calvin Bassey are stick-ons.
"In midfield, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara pick themselves.
"And up front, with no recognised strikers, Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent will play."
As for the other two slots, Miller reckons Van Bronckhorst has a couple of options up his sleeve.
He continued: "The other two slots? They’re up for debate. Whether Gio decides to play a back three or four, the personnel won’t change.
"The question is, does he play Bassey at centre-back with Borna Barisic at left-back or does Leon Balogun come in?
"And in attack, does he stick with Scott Wright who did so well against RB Leipzig in the semi-final?
"Or, if he’s fully fit, does Aaron Ramsey come in?
"In defence, I’d play Balogun with Bassey at full-back. And I know Bassey himself would prefer to play out wide.
"He’ll play anywhere because he’s that type of boy – but he prefers to play at left-back or wing-back.
"He gives them real pace and power in that position. And I think the team is better with Bassey there and Balogun at left centre-back.
"That’s the only question mark for Gio in defence.
"But ultimately I believe the manager will go with Barisic there because of the Croat’s recent performances.
"With Frankfurt likely to go with a back three, I expect the Rangers boss will do likewise. Just like he did against Leipzig.
"That means John Lundstram dropping into the centre of defence beside Goldson and Bassey, with Tavernier and Barisic as wing-backs.
"In front of them, Jack and Kamara will sit in the middle, with Kent on the left, Aribo as a false nine – and either Wright or Ramsey on the other side.
"And honestly, if fit, Ramsey HAS to start."
Miller admits Ramsey's stint at Ibrox hasn't quite gone to plan since he was loaned out from Juventus.
But despite not playing as many minutes as he would have liked, the Welshman has certainly shown his quality in flashes.
Miller added: "That’s not a slight on Scotty who played a key role home and away against Leipzig.
"He’s clearly capable but Ramsey brings something different and top quality.
"And he’s got big-game experience in Europe.
"This could be Aaron’s moment for Rangers. People can talk about whether the signing was worth it in January.
"But if he produces in the Europa League Final to help lift the trophy it will have been good value.
"Right now, you have to say it hasn’t worked out because he hasn’t been available for enough games.
"At the start he was fit but they were easing him in.
"He picked up an injury against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden after playing Braga on the Thursday night.
"I would imagine when they put Aaron’s fitness plan in place they wouldn’t have wanted him to play in both games. But because of the size of those matches, they had to. And in that spell he had, you could see his quality.
"He scored within three minutes of his Old Firm debut at Ibrox.
"The positions and runs he makes beyond a forward player are rare these days for a midfielder.
"I don’t think Rangers have another player who sees the spaces and makes the runs he does.
"He WANTS to get in there and score goals.
"The bigger question is whether other players can spot his movement and find him.
"A while back, there were signs he was getting back to his best.
"He looked like the signing we thought he would be. On the ball, he just doesn’t give it away. He makes the right decision 99 times out of 100.
"And you need that at a European level. The best players make difficult things look simple – that’s what Ramsey does.
"When it comes to key moments in big games, they have the ability to execute it.
"I know Rambo and he was born to play in this type of game.
"He played for Arsenal for 11 years and got a move to Juventus.
"He has been his country’s talisman alongside Gareth Bale for a number of years.
"When Wales got to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 he was in the team of the tournament.
"He’s a big-game player who has played at the top level since he was a young boy.
"A Europa League Final isn’t going to faze him.
"He’s going to relish it. If he’s fit and everything’s equal, he has to be in Gio’s starting XI.
"There will be times in this game when Rangers are up against it.
"They will need players with a calm head who can get the team back into its rhythm by putting their foot on the ball.
"The likes of Ramsey, Jack and Kamara will be key in those moments.
"That’s why I would play him. He could be key to Gio’s team winning this.
"And my gut feeling is they’ll do it on Wednesday night."
