Michael Beale reckons Steven Davis is a future Rangers manager in waiting - but the current Ibrox boss insists he’s not ready to write the crocked midfield veteran off as a player just yet.
Beale admits he was “devastated” to be told the Northern Ireland skipper has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after a freak training ground accident. The 37-year-old will undergo surgery early next month but Beale admits it will be down to Britain’s most capped footballer to decide if he plays on after his contract expires this summer.
The news has come as a major blow to the Gers gaffer, who had big plans for the former Aston Villa and Southampton ace as he plots his rebuild. And one way or another, Beale insists there will be a place for him at Ibrox next year if he wants it after teasing the possibility of a coaching role.
He said: “I don’t know exactly what Steven wants to do but if he wants to stay in football we would certainly help him do that when his career is over. But I don’t think his career is over.
“I want to focus on Steven getting his operation and the help he needs - then it’s up to Steven to decide what he wants to do after that. If he wants to go down the coaching route, like any of our senior players we support them and help them go through their badges with the SFA.
“Could there be a coaching role for him here if he wants one? Yeah, certainly.
“I think it would be nice to have a future Rangers manager on the staff one day. Over the last couple of years the club has seen a lot of staff leaving with managers and I always think it’s nice to have a manager in waiting.
“Whether he’s the next manager, or whether he’s just on the road to becoming it, I think succession planning for the club would be ideal.”
Beale revealed Davis suffered his cruel injury blow in an “innocuous” incident during training as he stretched for a ball. But he’s convinced the veteran midfielder - capped 140 times by his country - still has plenty to offer Gers.
He said: “Steven’s not a normal person, otherwise he wouldn’t be playing at this age and have played the amount of games he has. So if Steven thinks he can get himself back to near how he was, Steven can still play football for someone. The decision is in his hands.
“He was going to be a key player between now and the end of the season so I'm gutted we've lost him. Obviously given the age he's at he will have a decision to make, I think that's fair to say, but it's his decision to make.
“Having seen him in the two games since I returned, I think he had at least 18 months left at this level, certainly now with five subs. We haven’t had a chance to sit and discuss it. He has to let the swelling go down. He can’t move around. He’s had his scan and is now spending time with his family.
“But I’m sure this week we’ll get a chance to catch up and have a discussion with the operation booked in for early January.”
Beale is set to welcome back Antonio Colak, Kemar Roofe and World Cup ace Borna Barisic for tonight’s clash with Motherwell as he looks to make it four wins from four since taking over. But he admits he’ll be prioritising the addition of a new midfielder next month after losing Davis.
“We might have been looking anyway, to be honest,” he said. "In midfield there’s a little bit of uncertainty, it’s fair to say.
“We have a couple of loan players in James Sands and Malik Tillman and three players who are out of contract at the end of the season. The decision on their futures has not been decided yet in terms of Steven, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack.
“Glen Kamara seems to get linked with a new club every day as well so midfield is an area that we will look to strengthen, moving forward.”
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