It's hard to pinpoint what's been more staggering, the club’s achievement of reaching a European final or the spectacular turnaround in John Lundstram’s Rangers career

The ‘Silky Scouser,’ as he’s been dubbed by supporters, looked like he could’ve been on his way out of Ibrox in January after a turbulent six months in Govan.

However, since returning to the team in the 5-0 win against Hearts at the start of February, the 28-year-old has been a revelation.

This transformation has been most notably in Europe where he’s helped the club progress to the Europa League final against Frankfurt.

His goal of the season in the 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund and his winner against RB Leipzig will live long in the memory.

And now, he’s on the cusp of immortality.

All of this comes as no surprise to the man who first laid eyes on him as a six-year-old.

Former Everton Head of Academy Recruitment Martin Waldron has told The Rangers Review he knew 22 years ago that Lundstram would reach the top.

He said: “I went to see him around Easter time, he was playing in a tournament up in Burscough.

“I was quite organised when I was at Everton so I had a policy of going around all the managers and getting information on young boys playing a year above. Normally the best players always play up and look okay in the age above. If they were younger, you’d take more time and be patient with them.

“John was one of them. I still remember the pitch and everything. He was playing in the left of a back three.

“You could see he could run, he was athletic and he liked to defend which is a bit of a rarity in kids that age.

“It’s easier to spot a potential player at six, seven, eight or nine than it is when they’re older. That’s because there are no factors that come into it about growing - they’re more or less all the same. You can see their ability and everything they’ve got and you just hope that they develop in the right manner with the required desire and passion.

“I’ve got a 100% record of calling players who have gone on to play for the first team and not got one wrong. When I say to a kid they’re going to play in the first team at seven years of age, they do it.

“It’s not something I go around telling everyone but when you know you’ve got one you let them know how much I fancy them and you stick with it.”

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Off the pitch, Waldron says Lundstram had all the attributes required to forge a career as a professional.

He said: “He was a bit of a comedian and liked a laugh and a joke but he was a great kid with a great attitude and desire.

“You’re looking for ability, athleticism, desire and passion so you’ve got a little checklist in your head and he fit the bill for everything.”

Despite arriving from Sheffield United as a midfielder, Lundstram has often been deployed as the lynchpin at the heart of a back three where he’s excelled against the likes of Leipzig in the Red Bull Arena and the second half of the second leg clash against Borussia Dortmund at Ibrox.

It was a move that raised a few eyebrows amongst the Light Blues faithful but Waldron says it’s no surprise to see him perform so well in the backline.

He said: “I always thought he was a class centre back.

“I’ve said it, and John will back me up. John remembers the phone call but I did also have him in the office at Everton and said to him, ‘I’ll fix you up with a League One club at centre half.’ But Oxford came in with a good deal and he ended up going there but I always said he would be top drawer as a centre back.

“He played for England at the World Cup in 2011 for the Under 17s and he got in the Team of the Tournament as a defender.

“You always know the ones who are going to make it. You know what they’ve got. They need a bit of luck and someone who believes in them and play them in the right place.

“That’s what I was good at. Spotting players and seeing their potential. The coach is the coach who coaches players. The scout’s the one who scouts them and that’s the most important part of any football club. If you don’t get your scouting right and your recruitment right you’re going to be like Everton now – a mess and Man United, in a mess."

With a number of Premier League clubs chasing Lundstram’s signature last year it was a coup for Rangers to entice him to Ibrox, however, Waldron explains he was well aware of the magnitude of the club having come up against them several times as a youngster.

He said: “Rangers are a big club in the football world. We had come up and played Rangers a few times when he was quite a young boy.

READ MORE: John Lundstram in epic Celtic Park stare down as Rangers cult hero shows no fear

“We always used to go to Scotland and we’d bump into them in the tournaments because Everton and Rangers were always active around Europe at young ages so we always had a little bit of an affiliation with them.

“It probably took him a while to settle in but I’ve seen he’s playing at centre half now and I’m made up because I thought he was a world-class centre back years ago. It’s no surprise to see him there and doing well.”

Watching Lundstram strut his stuff on the biggest stage and win a place in the Rangers fans' hearts is something that fills Waldron’s heart with pride. He said: “It’s a proud moment.

“I’ve always treated the kids and players I’ve been involved with down the years as my own. They get respect and they get honesty. I try to bring them up in the right way.

“Even down to things like tucking your t-shirt in or pulling up your tracksuit top. You try and be professional early doors. We call it the Everton way.

“You can tell an Everton player, they’re well mannered and do the right things and John’s one of them.”