Why Rangers star will have James Tavernier looking over his shoulder - chance creator, age, out of position

The teenager was constant in his advances from left-back. Aggressive and positive in his movement, composed in possession. He wasn't simply an out ball. He was the ball. Time and time again. Rangers weren’t all that good as they defeated the Staggies 1-0 to make it three wins from three under new manager Michael Beale. But they did have the outstanding individual performer. Match-winner John Lundstram called him “absolutely fantastic”.

No player created more chances in the match than the 19-year-old. He was accurate with his dribbles and more than a third of his passes were into the final third. Now for the kicker. He is actually a right-back, asked to fill in out of possession for the last three matches because of an injury to Ridvan Yilmaz and Borna Barisic's exploits with Croatia at the World Cup. You take that, his age and the situation at Rangers where they find themselves playing catch up, it has been an impressive spell.

“Huge credit to Malky because in the time he’s been at this club he likes to play on the front foot,” Beale said. “He likes to have wide players and I thought they might go for us on the sides with our shape. So it was important we gave County something interesting going the other way and I thought Adam did that. It was a really interesting battle down that side.

“He’s a young player who has come into the team unexpectedly and is playing out of position. Physically and mentally he’s been challenged but he’s come up trumps. We should be delighted with his firm so far. It’s just a start but it is just a start and he has to keep backing it up. He’s gone away to Pittodrie, he’s come away here to Dingwall and played in front of a nervous crowd at Hibs but I think he’s done excellent so far.

Lundstram added: “It is not easy when you are experienced to go and play for a team like Rangers, never mind when you are a young teenage boy. So loads of credit to him.”

Tavernier challenge

Now, what happens when Yilmaz and Barisic are available? It is maybe James Tavernier, who has not been at his influential best this campaign, who may well have to “look over his shoulder”, as Beale put it.

“I’d like to have a decision to make to be honest as in a few areas we’ve not had a decision to make as we’ve just had to play with what we’ve got,” Beale said. “But Adam has done himself no harm. I think he’ll jump up 25 per cent if he moves over to his natural position, certainly in attacking positions, so maybe the captain has to look over his shoulder.

“That’s what I want. This isn’t about coming back in and being a bit romantic about the group I worked with previously, it’s about building a new Rangers and certainly the cornerstone of that will be young players."