Michael Beale has updated Rangers supporters on Steven Davis' contract situation at Ibrox.
The club confirmed over the weekend that the Northern Irishman would be out for the remainder of the season after picking up a nasty knee injury.
Beale has described the knock as a huge blow for the club, despite Davis being used sparingly since Beale has come in.
The 37-year-old is out of contract in the summer and is yet to pen a new deal with Gers.
On Davis' situation, Beale said: "All those things will be discussed. In terms of me, he was going to be a key player between now and the end of the season so I'm gutted we've lost him.
"I'm gutted for Steven more than myself. 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.
"You don't need players to play 90 minutes anymore. You are going to see players playing later and I always said he had 27-year-old legs.
"I'm not going to back down on that at the moment. Let's see. The most important person is Steven so until we talk we will just support him through the operation and see where it takes us."
He added: "It's a huge blow. I've been devastated ever since it happened. Obviously, we realised straight away it didn't look like a good one but we had to let the swelling go down and let him have a scan then let Steven process the results of that scan.
"I believe in early January he will go and have an operation then we will sit and talk. The Christmas period is a good time for reflection anyway.
"Us as a club have a plan for Steven anyway, moving forward he's someone we want to have in and around the club both as a player and a second career if he chose to go down that route.
"That was something that was already under discussion in the very first meeting I had with the club because I knew Steven had a lovely way of detatching himself from the game and seeing it as someone overlooking the game rather than a player who can only see it from his own eyes.
"I was very interested to know where Steven saw himself later in life. Having come in and seen him in the Leverkusen game and the second half of the Hibs game I thought Steven hadn't changed in the year I have been away.
"I thought he was as sharp as every and playing at the same level so therefore that conversation I was holding in my back pocket. Only Steven will make a decision on his future.
"He has got to have the operation and see exactly what the surgeon says and what he feels around it. Then he'll decide what he wants to do next. Knowing Steven I think he will want to continue to play because he still can play."
