IN my lifetime Rangers have been blessed with some top drawer right-backs but there’s one man who reigns supreme over them all.

James Henry Tavernier.

The skipper was rightfully honoured for another magnificently consistent season with the Players Player of the Year award on Sunday night and he was perhaps unfortunate not to scoop the Player of the Year gong also with Alfredo Morelos pipping him to the honour.

Pound-for-pound, you will struggle to find a player that has proved to be more value for money than the £250,000 Rangers paid Wigan Athletic for his services back in the summer of 2015.

The 30-year-old has been a phenomenon and deserves to be recognised as a modern-day legend of this unique football club.

His level of output is extraordinary. If we take a look at his numbers posted over the past two campaigns. He has played 95 matches, scoring 33 goals as well as notching 32 assists and on Saturday, he rifled home his 80th goal for the club from the penalty spot as ten-man Rangers beat Motherwell 3-1.

His overall record reads 340 games played, 107 assists and 80 goals.

For a bona fide right back, his numbers are simply ridiculous.

Then there is the mind-blowing fact he sits joint-top of the Europa League goal standings with six and with Lyon’s Karl Toto Ekambi knocked out in the previous round, who’s to say the Light Blues captain won’t add to his tally in the upcoming matches with RB Leipzig.

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As we witnessed in the previous rounds against Braga, Red Star Belgrade and Borussia Dortmund, Tavernier is a big game player who thrives in high-pressure environments and regularly comes up trumps.

The argument over whether he is a proper Rangers captain should’ve been put to bed a long time ago. Not all captains have to fit the mould of a Richard Gough or a Barry Ferguson.

In James Tavernier, Rangers have a captain who leads by example.

Given his level of output, it’s surprising that there has been very little in the way of noise regarding a potential switch to a club in the English Premier League. Not that it would be welcomed but he is someone who could slot into one of the top teams down south with ease.

I’m not just talking about clubs in the lower half of the division either. He is someone who wouldn’t look out of place in an Arsenal, Chelsea or even a Liverpool or Manchester City side.

His style of play suits a team that plays an expansive game and that is why he has excelled in the main at Rangers. The drawback of course is his defensive side of the game that has often been called into question.

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There is no denying he has made mistakes but hasn’t everyone at one point or another and his defensive work has improved over time.

If we inspect the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic as an example, not only did he have a huge part to play in Scott Arfield’s equalising goal but as highlighted in a piece from our tactics writer Craig Vickers, he played a vital role in keeping the Parkhead at bay.

He is in the form of his life at the moment and it bodes well heading into the two biggest matches of his career. If he can produce the level of performance we have come accustomed to in Europe and help lead this Rangers team into the Europa League final he will go down in history as one of the greatest captains this club has ever had in its illustrious 150-year history.

But just reaching cup finals is not what the club nor he will be aiming for, we all know the prize on offer and if he can continue in this rich vein of form he is in with a fighting chance of making himself immortal in the eyes of the Rangers support.