Under-fire Rangers star will leave an irreplaceable void at Ibrox when he exits club claims former teammate

There has been harsh criticism directed towards the current Rangers captain by some members of the team’s supporters.

Scott Arfield is certain that until James Tavernier departs the Rangers after providing an impassioned defence of his former Ibrox comrade, fans will not fully understand the significance of the under-fire captain. During his testimonial season, the 32-year-old defender has faced harsh criticism, particularly after Celtic’s 3-0 Old Firm triumph at the beginning of the month. Tavernier, the focus of a lot of transfer rumours in the summer, was singled out and called a “loser” by enraged supporters outside the stadium following the Light Blues’ most recent derby loss to their bitter rivals.

With his long-term future in Govan still uncertain, Arfield emphasised Tavernier’s unequalled statistics, notably his goals and assists contributions as a right-back, as something that will not be completely appreciated until he is no longer a member of Philippe Clement’s team. The current Bolton Wanderers midfielder believes that the Englishman’s departure will leave an irreparable vacuum.

In an exclusive interview with Football Scotland, Arfield praised Tavernier’s accomplishments while wearing a royal blue shirt, saying: “He’s in the Hall of Fame now, and if you look at the names on that list, it’s not an easy thing to get into with the history of that club, so it speaks for itself. I don’t think we’ll see another right-back with similar numbers, not only in terms of assists and goals, but also in terms of longevity and number of games played per season. “There is an element that when James does ultimately move on, it will be one of those where you never knew what you had until it’s gone because as a right back, I don’t care who’s going to come