Colin Hendry has urged Rangers to hand John Souttar a bigger role next season as the club ramps up its push for more homegrown talent.
The Ibrox side are placing an “SPFL bias” on recruitment under Danny Rohl, prioritising players with experience in Scottish football, a strategy that has already seen Lawrence Shankland arrive from Hearts.
And Hendry believes that approach should also benefit those already in the building, including Souttar, who slipped down the pecking order late last term. “Well, yeah, if you're ticking the boxes, he's Scottish, obviously. And he'd be part of it all,” Hendry told Rangers Review through BestBettingSites.co.uk.
“But when I was a defender, all I wanted to do was play consistently and play well. That was the key to the defensive side of things because we were the destroyers in the team.
“I think for the likes of Souttar, the more game time he gets, the better he would be.”
Hendry did, however, warn that fitness remains a key factor for the centre-back. “If you're carrying injuries and you're trying to rest it, that's a bit of an imbalance,” he said.
“Do you play as much as you can because of the injury and you're only playing at seventy-five per cent? It’s not good to be playing at fifty or sixty per cent.
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“Seventy-five per cent, you can get away with a little bit, especially as a defender.”
Rangers have also been linked with a number of Scottish-based targets, including Dundee defender Luke Graham and Bologna midfielder Lewis Ferguson, both of whom Hendry rates highly.
“There are a few players been linked, and it just really depends on the market and what they decide,” he added. “But yeah, there are a few names to consider like Luke Graham and Lewis Ferguson; he knows what the club’s all about.
“The fans would like to see a bit more homegrown talent coming through the door.”
Meanwhile, Hendry expects new Rangers signing Shankland to lead the line for Scotland at the World Cup after his recent form. “I'd be a little bit surprised if Lawrence Shankland didn't start,” he said.
“He's the one striker that's with the party that's an out-and-out goal scorer. When you're in that sort of form, and on top of that he was captain at Hearts, which is another responsibility that he's handled exceptionally well, I would think he has to play.
“I'd be shocked to think otherwise.”
