Jermain Defoe was loved by his Rangers team-mates as much for his influence off the pitch as the goals he scored on it.
Chances are, Aaron Ramsey is contributing in a similar manner this term, even if his injury-hit two months at Ibrox have seen him limited to just two starts since his arrival in the closing hours of the January transfer window.
The Welshman’s performance in the second of those, though, against Dundee in Sunday’s 3-0 Scottish Cup win, would suggest Ramsey is about to play a more pivotal role in the climax to the season.
Rangers have eight league games left, are in the last four of the Cup and have a great chance of advancing to the quarter-finals of the Europa League if they finish the job against Red Star in Belgrade on Thursday.
Assuming the 3-0 first-leg lead is enough, that will mean a minimum of a dozen crucial matches, including Thursday’s, for the Juventus midfielder to finally make his mark on the grass.
On the training ground, though, it looks like his influence is already being measured by the progress being made by a trio of young midfielders who could well be the engine room of the future.
Rangers ended the match at Dens with 21-year-old James Sands, Charlie McCann (19) and Alex Lowry (18) in the middle of the park.
Sands started the game, operating in a similar fashion to John Lundstram recently, while the teenagers came on with the game effectively won, but made a positive impact with Lowry setting up Fashion Sakala for the third goal.
Sands was efficient and effective. Stats show his pass success rate was 91 per cent and he won 11 out of his 14 challenges on the deck and in the air.
He may not have the eye-catching flair of McCann or Lowry but Van Bronckhorst is more likely to use him and he has featured in 37 matches this season for former club New York City and Rangers, suggesting that ex-Celtic boss Ronny Deila – now in charge of the MLS outfit – rated him just as highly as Van Bronckhorst does.
And Ramsey also believes the young American has a big future in the game.
“James has done really well and he has settled,” he said. “He gets stuck in, gets about and he did well against Dundee.
“It’s a good environment for any player to come into. We have a great group here and they make it easy for people to settle in.”
Asked about the emergence of McCann and Lowry, Ramsey added: “You get a lot of good players coming through in a big club like this.
“It’s important to have that competition between ourselves.
“It’s nice for the younger players to come on and show what they can do. We have a lot of talented players here.”
The manager agrees. Van Bronckhorst told Rangers TV: “For James it was a big change and he came after playing a season in the MLS.
“It’s a different way of playing but he showed against Dundee what he can do.
“He was excellent on Sunday and he won a lot of duels and second balls.
“His passing was good and he spread the play alongside Ryan Jack so I am pleased with his performance.
“Also, it was a great assist from Alex.
“It’s good to give the young players a chance, especially in these moments.
“They are very important for the club and the more minutes you can give them, the better.”
Sands believes he is settling and learning every day, admitting that Ramsey and Ryan Jack are huge influences.
He said: “It is understanding that in Scottish football you have so many types of different games. The games you play at Ibrox are very different to the ones you play away from home.
“Different things are required in the games and I knew going to Dundee it would be a physical match and there would be a lot of challenges.
“That helped me settle into the game. It’s great to have the likes of Ryan Jack and Aaron Ramsey in the team beside me.
“They are always talking to me and they make my job a lot easier. There’s a positive feeling around the place right now.
“We started the Dundee game well and we killed it pretty quickly.
“Any time you can advance in the cup it is a big deal and we are aiming to win it so it was a good step forward.
“We have had a few results in recent weeks when we have let things slip in the second half.
“But to do it in the manner we did against Dundee was good for all of us.
“It’s not easy coming on the road playing on a tough pitch and a team who sit deep.
“So to overcome that was really positive.”
Sands will probably revert to a place on the bench in Belgrade but he has no doubt that whoever plays can get the job done.
He added: “We are all really pumped now for Thursday night. We had a good result in the first leg but we know they are a very talented team and we can’t afford to let up on them.
“Going there will be a different challenge for us but the group will be up for it.”
Ramsey is more likely to start, if his fitness is at the required level having come through 80 minutes in Dundee.
He said: “It was nice to get back out there and get a good chunk of minutes under my belt. I’m happy with that and hopefully I can build on the performance.
“I came here to win things and be competitive in the biggest games. Thursday is a massive game and we are looking forward to it.
“It’s a big opportunity for us to get into a quarter-final and we have to be ready. It will be really hostile over there but we know we need a similar start to the one we had against Dundee. We’re in a good position but need to be smart and hopefully we’ll have another night to celebrate.”
