MICHAEL BEALE has put an arm round the shoulder of Ridvan Yilmaz to help the Turkish internationalist come to terms with the earthquake tragedy in his homeland.
The world has watched on in horror at events as more than 22,000 people have died in the disaster on the Turkish border with Syria.
It has been a sobering reminder of the importance of football in life as the left-back continues to work towards a return to action at Ibrox this season.
Yilmaz endured a frustrating first half of the campaign following his move from Besiktas and has yet to feature under new boss Beale after sustaining a serious hamstring injury in October.
“You send your condolences as we’ve all seen the really sad news and the bits on TV," Beale said. "It’s tragic.
"I had a little conversation with Ridvan on it, not a big one. He’s out training and is close to a return and that’s what he’s focused on.
“We have an outstanding left-back in Borna and an outstanding young one in Ridvan as well. He was bought with an eye on the future and creating competition as we lost a fantastic one in the summer in Calvin Bassey.
"Just before he got injured he started to excite the fans with what he could bring. He’s a different type of attacking full-back. He arrives and runs past the wide player whereas Borna is someone who has that fantastic crossing.
"It’s a lovely blend to have. And then you can pick and choose which one you would have and when.”
The return of Yilmaz would be a significant boost to Rangers for the closing weeks of the campaign and Beale will have Kemar Roofe available for the Scottish Cup clash with Partick Thistle on Sunday.
Tom Lawrence and John Souttar remain long-term absentees, however, and Beale said: “Ridvan will probably be another three weeks which will be good to get him back as I haven’t seen or worked with him at all. He’s a player I have high hopes for.
“Hopefully he’ll be back in three or four weeks but with Tom and John, I don’t want to put a timeframe on it."
