Tom Lawrence could be a "huge player for Rangers" if he can stay fit and is now ahead of his Ibrox rivals for a place in Philippe Clement's XI, according to Mark Wilson.

Speaking on BBC Sportscene on 12 November, after the former Derby captain had started and assisted Cyriel Dessers in the 2-0 win over Livingston, ex-Celtic pundit Wilson admitted Lawrence had been a "huge miss" for the Light Blues when out injured.

Michael Stewart echoed the assessment while also suggesting that fellow attacking midfielder Todd Cantwell is among the best in the Rangers squad, and claimed that "certainly" Sam Lammers should be making way for the two Englishmen to "dovetail with each other".

Wilson said of Lawrence (40m): "I think he could be a huge player for Rangers. It's a position that I don't think has been grasped by anybody. You've had Lammers in there and Cantwell in spells. I think he's been a huge miss for Rangers...

"I think he's got a real opportunity to stay in the team now, of course fitness has been his issue, but if he stays fit I think he's ahead of the others in that position for Clement."

Stewart then said: "I don't think there's any doubt... If you're picking your strongest XI for Rangers then Cantwell would be in the team, whether it's in that position or playing in to out as a wider player. You could play two 10s, they're intelligent players who can play off of each other.

"Certainly at the moment Sam Lammers would be one that you'd say would be making way for the likes of Cantwell and Lawrence to be dovetailing with each other.

"Lawrence has got end product, he makes things happen, and he's got greater awareness of where to be on the park to have the biggest impact, and we've not seen that so far from Lammers."

Hard to argue

Lammers' stunning strike in off the bar at Dundee on 1 November notwithstanding, the Dutchman has struggled to have the requisite impact since his summer arrival.

He has started regularly for both Michael Beale and Clement all the same, with Lawrence unavailable for most of the opening months of the season and Cantwell's form down on last term.

But if everyone is available it is hard to say that Lammers should be above either of the other two in the pecking order, and if Lawrence, 29, can maintain his fitness he could belatedly be a key addition to the side.

As he approaches a season and a half at Ibrox he has still only made 16 appearances in total thanks to being one of the worst affected by the endless injury problems at the club.

Whenever he has been available his impact has suggested he could be a central part of the side based on quality alone, and his work to create the opener at the Tony Macaroni Arena in his first start for almost two months demonstrated that again.

Cantwell emerged as arguably the Gers' best player towards the end of last season but hasn't reached those levels yet in the new season but, after a goal in the crucial Europa League win over Sparta Prague last week, if he can get into the side on a sustained basis then Rangers would be boosted even further.

In other Rangers news, a former Ibrox captain was baffled live on BBC Sportsound as a "petulant" Livi man tried to get into it with the Light Blues fans.

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