Colin Hendry has called for John Souttar to get more game time for Rangers next season as they attempt to go more Scottish.
Danny Rohl and the Ibrox hierarchy are making a concerted effort to go more homegrown next season with an 'SPFL bias' placed on their transfer dealings - essentially if two players are rated equally, they will go for the one with experience of playing in Scotland.
It has already paid off with the club securing the signing of Lawrence Shankland, on a free due to a clause in his Hearts contract.
They've also been linked with Dundee defender Luke Graham and Bologna midfielder Lewis Ferguson, among others.
But could it mean anything for a player already at the club? Souttar was marginalised towards the end of the season due to the partnership of Emmanuel Fernandez and Nasser Djiga, but Djiga won't be returning after his Wolves loan expired.
Speaking exclusively to Rangers Review through BestBettingSites.co.uk: Hendry said: "Well, yeah, if you're ticking the boxes, he's Scottish, obviously. And he'd be part of it all.
"But when I was a defender, all I wanted to do was play consistently and play well. So that was the key to the defensive side of things because we were the destroyers in the team. And I think for the likes of Souttar, the more game time he gets, the better he would be, I would think.
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"Albeit that if you're carrying injuries and you're trying to rest it, that's a bit of an imbalance. Do you play as much as you can because of the injury and you're only playing at seventy-five per cent? It's not good to be playing at fifty or sixty per cent. Seventy-five per cent, you can get away with a little bit, especially as a defender."
In terms of incoming Scottish players, Graham and Ferguson are the two that stand out for Hendry.
He added: "There's been the usual suspects banded about. There are a few players been linked, and it just really depends on the market and what they decide, if they price them out of the market or not.
"But yeah, there are a few names to consider like Luke Graham and Lewis Ferguson - he know's what the clubs all about. The fans would like to see a bit more homegrown talent coming through the door."
Meanwhile, the title winning ex-Rangers centre-back expects Shankland to start for Scotland at the World Cup after he continued on a high from signing for his boyhood heroes by scoring a double against Curucao.
Hendry said: "I'd be a little bit surprised if Lawrence Shankland didn't start. He's the one striker that's with the party that's an out-and-out goal scorer.
"And when you're in that sort of form, and on top of that, he was captain at Hearts, which is another responsibility that he's handled exceptionally well. But I would think he has to play. I'd be shocked to think otherwise."
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