The ability to plug gaps may just see Rangers ace James Sands fill a seat on the plane to Qatar.
But if the Ibrox utility man wants to really nail down a key role at the World Cup and a regular slot in Scotland, the American international has been told to hammer out an agreement with Gio van Bronckhorst over his positional plight.
Sands’ versatility was one of the main attractions for the Gers boss when he agreed to take the 21-year-old on an 18-month loan from MLS outfit New York City.
He made his debut at Pittodrie back in January in a holding midfield slot but his more recent appearances have been limited to the brief occasions when van Bronckhorst has rejigged his backline into a three-man defence.
Former Fulham, Millwall and Crystal Palace defender Matt Lawrence - who now commentates for NYCFC on American telly - has kept a keen eye on Sands during his time in Scotland.
But having seen Sands miss out on US head coach Gregg Berhalter’s last couple of squads, the New Den Legend fears Gers’ Jack of All Trades could find his place in for this winter’s global extravaganza in the gulf come under threat unless Sands becomes a master of one.
And if a consensus on his role in van Bronckhorst’s line-up cannot be reached, he’d advise the lad from the Big Apple to consider giving his spell at Ibrox the chop.
Lawrence told Record Sport : “When James was playing for New York City, he was playing as a centre-half and that’s the position I always felt would offer him his best hope if he wanted to move to Europe.
“He can also play in midfield and at right-back too, which gives the manager options.
“But I think for James next season, I think it would be best if he sat down with the manager and focused on the one position where he's going to stand the best chance of playing regularly.
“His versatility is useful but I think it’s always easier to really break into a team if you’re fully focused on one role.
“To be honest, I’m not sure he’s athletic enough to be a centre-midfielder.
“The big thing is that James needs to be playing regularly to get himself into the World Cup squad.
“He’s missed out on the last couple of squads which will be a concern.
“It’s an 18-month loan so if I’m him, I’d be having that conversation with the manager to also see if I’ll be playing more this year. If I’m not, I’d be looking to break the loan agreement because I wouldn’t want to risk missing out on Qatar.
“Whatever decisions he takes over the next three months has to be with a view to getting back into that US squad.
“Nobody ever gets assurances of game-time but he’s got to have a good feeling he’s going to get more minutes in Glasgow.
“And he’s got to have a feeling where he’s going to play.
“There were times last season where he was probably sixth or seventh choice in midfield. That can’t continue if he wants to play at the World Cup.
“The best thing for Berhalter is that he can play in a number of positions.
“There’s certainly talk of him going because he can play these different positions.
“Yes his versatility may get him on the plane but if he realty wants to play a significant role, he needs to really nail down one slot in the team.”
The deal that brought Sands across the Atlantic has always had a try-before-you-buy feel to it.
So far, there’s not been much to get the Ibrox faithful excited about the prospect of a permanent deal, especially with rumours Stateside that NYCFC will be looking for a $6million payday next summer.
But Lawrence - who has been watching Sands closely since he made he debut alongside Italian icon Andrea Pirlo aged 16 - expects to see him kick on if he does decide to stay put in Scotland.
He said: “The six months will have stood James in good stead in terms of getting him used to the city, the league and Rangers as a club.
“So I think it was wise for him to have this period over there and hopefully that means he’ll be able to hit the ground running for the new season.
“It’s not quite the case of starting afresh but now he will know what’s going on and what’s required.”
Sands has racked up just 14 appearances since crossing the Pond but among those run outs are testing clashes at Borussia Dortmund’s Westfallenstadion and the notorious Marakana in Belgrade.
Those came on Gers’ thrill ride to Seville and Sands even got a taste of the action in the Europa League final as he was thrown on in extra-time against Eintracht Frankfurt.
“Getting to play in a Europa League final, even a 20-minute run-out, would have been beyond his wildest dreams when he signed,” added Lawrence - who skippered Millwall to their 2004 FA Cup final appearance against Manchester United.
“But there’s no doubt he’d have wanted to have played more.
“I’m not saying he will be upset by that but it will spur him on to get fitter over the summer, to learn more about the Scottish game, to do what’s required to force him more into Gio van Bronckhorst’s plans.
“Whoever came up with the 18-month loan, I think it was perfect for James to spend the fist six months learning about the levels required over there and what the game is like in Scotland.
“Now we can probably consider this his first real season.
“I had a look earlier, he’s played less than 800 minutes, so not even 10 full games’ worth.
“But he did play in some really high profile games like the win over Dortmund in Germany. He came off the bench in both legs against Red Star Belgrade and then obviously the final in Seville.
“Going forward, those experiences will stand him in really good stead.
“Hopefully he’ll have impressed the fans and the manager himself.
“He obviously must have done something to gain van Bronckhorst’s trust as I saw there were times when he changed the system to a back three and put James in there.”
