Connor Goldson left Rangers two years ago, but Kyle Lafferty says the Ibrox club have finally replaced him.
Lafferty played with loan signing Ben Godfrey at Norwich back when the new boy was a fresh-faced teenager, but saw enough then to predict he was going to go on and have a good career.
The Northern Irishman was also a teammate of Goldson's at Rangers and doesn't think his old club have replaced his since his exit in 2024.
Until now, because Godfrey can very much be that dominant centre-half, and a leader in the backline.
“Ben was a young boy coming through at Norwich when I was there," he told the Daily Record. "Absolutely nothing fazed Ben. He came in, did really well and got great moves to other clubs.
“He’s a great signing for Rangers. I know that in the last couple of years he hasn’t played the amount of football he’d have wanted at places like Atalanta.
“But he’ll be an exciting player for us. If he stays fit, I think we’ll see a younger version of Connor Goldson.
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“I think we’ve missed Connor since he left. We haven’t had that centre-back who has demanded a certain level of performance. But Ben can do that because he’ll lead from the back.
“He won’t be shy of pulling people up if they’re not pulling their weight. That’s what Rangers need and I think he’s a great signing for the club at a really good age as well.”
Another Rangers summer signing Lafferty knows well is Ross McCrorie - both at Ibrox at the same time during the returning defender's first spell.
He added: "I played with Ross when he was a young boy at Rangers.
“Some of my mates aren’t that keen on him but I have to stick up for him.
“I remember when we beat Celtic in an Old Firm game at Ibrox (1-0 win in 2018), he absolutely bossed Scott Brown and Scott was at his best then. Ross played central midfield that day and ran the show.
“He didn’t get as many games as he deserved at Rangers first time around but he went away and did well down south. He’s now got a chance he probably didn’t think he’d get again."
