Celtic icon Frank McAvennie insists Steven Davis is a 'huge' figure for Rangers and they must retain him beyond the summer.
Former Hoops striker McAvennie used Jermain Defoe as a prime example of how big an influence Davis can have.
The veteran midfielder is currently sidelined through injury and is out of contract in the summer. The Northern Ireland captain is one of a number of key players who the future remains unclear for at this stage but is one Macca would retain.
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Steven Gerrard put Defoe in a coaching role while at Rangers and while his game-time on the park was limited, the influence he had on Alfredo Morelos was noticeable. The Hoops legend believes Davis could adopt a similar approach with the youngsters at Ibrox.
McAvennie believes the Northern Ireland international has been a 'brilliant' player for years in Govan and if he was on the books the midfielder is one he'd sponge information from, reports Glasgow Live.
He told Football Insider : “I do not think the youngsters nowadays can be bothered with the past and do not care who has done what.
“Davis is a player that I would look up to. He has been there, seen it and done it. I do not get why he would not want to keep him around the place in a coaching role.
“Defoe was great for [Alfredo] Morelos, just watching him every day. No matter what people say Davis is a great, he has been brilliant for years. If I was a Rangers players I would want to train with him every day and listen to him. He’s a huge figure for them.“
Speaking earlier this month about the Rangers veteran, boss Beale said: “He’s back in the training ground. He’s had the op and he’s in and around the lads. I saw that glint in his eye.
“Michael O’Neill has gone back to be the national coach and I know he has a fantastic relationship with him. Steven Davis will have a magnitude of options. He was going to be a key player for us between now and the end of the season. We have missed him.
“Times like a few weeks at Kilmarnock when we were 3-1 in front, I just think Steven would have made better decisions for the group. Maybe he’d have had a little word in one or two ears, so we are missing him.
“He’s got a long road in his recovery, but I think everything is in Steven’s hands.”
