Rangers could be set to replace Adam Devine after being credited with an interest in Anderlecht’s rising star right back Noah Sadiki, 18.

The Belgian international, already capped at many youth levels, is out of contract this summer, and with a healthy market value of around £2M is seen by the club as a potential successor/competition to current captain James Tavernier, with youngster Devine not quite hitting the required levels and having lost his place now to returning Croat Borna Barisic.

But Tavernier, 31, is going into his 32nd year before 2023 is out, and has possibly lost a yard of pace the past year or so, and hasn’t had the most vintage season thus far either, struggling with a number of aspects of his game.

Not that he immediately requires replacing, but he’s not the Tavernier he was even a couple of seasons ago – hence Rangers are looking to acquire some new talent in that area, to both push the captain on and give the club quality depth there, plus potentially replace him in the coming years.

Of course, that ‘replace’ notion only works if the successor is getting healthy minutes now – Rangers lost out on a world class right back in Nathan Patterson down to Steven Gerrard then Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s refusal to select him more frequently.

Bringing in a talented young RB to just sit him on the bench will not work, and he’ll end up leaving too.

As for Sadiki? Only 18 and already 18 appearances for Anderlecht at senior level, this is a very, VERY talented young man – he’s most comfortable at RB but has played all over the pitch in every slot aside the front three. He’s extremely versatile and will have a massive market value in a few years.

Think of Shakhtar’s Mudryk, who was only worth £1M a year ago, now he’s moving for £90M at age 22.

Sadiki could well see himself going into that territory if the next few years develop him well, and that won’t happen if he’s benched in favour of Tav.

So Rangers would have to be using him a lot more, and honestly, since 2015, James Tavernier has pretty much owned that slot, for right or wrong. We can’t see anyone taking it.