It appeared the 38-year-old was going to miss the remainder of the season when he suffered a knee injury in December. Fans wondered if he had played his last game for the club after 360 appearances across two spells.

Yet, there has been positive news and progress with his rehab with the midfielder back on the training ground having had an operation with Beale noting he has seen a “glint” in the player’s eye. A return before the end of the season could prompt another extension of his contract when it expires in the summer, such is his influence on the first-team squad, notably with younger players.

“Steven Davis will have a magnitude of options,” Beale said. “He was going to be a key player for us between now and the end of the season. We have missed him. Times like a few weeks at Kilmarnock when we were 3-1 in front, I just think Steven would have made better decisions for the group.

“He’s got a long road in his recovery, but I think everything is in Steven’s hands.”

Beale added: “Steven’s in every day, he’s talking to people at lunchtimes. Someone like Steven in a one-to-one with a young Adam Devine or Alex Lowry, you’ve got to allow Steven to be Steven. A lot is made sometimes about age but the experiences some of these boys have had, I need them to be an extension of me. Steven is certainly that. He’s very calm, he thinks about the group, not himself.

“I don’t think people realise the importance some people have as to why a team plays a certain way. I like to have all the seniors around the changing room. When you look at the group that went on the long journey through Europe these past few years and you see that the vast majority of them didn’t play in the Champions League this season, it’s not a surprise to me that the group struggled.”

'Will have a magnitude of options' - Rangers boss reveals star on expiring deal the team have 'missed'

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