WITH the Rangers captain ahead of him at right-back, and a World Cup semi-finalist one of those ahead of him on the other side of the pitch, Adam Devine has had to be patient as he waited for a chance to impress.
But the fact that Borna Barisic is indeed still away with Croatia in Qatar might just have opened the door for Devine for Thursday’s game against Hibernian, and after an impressive showing at left-back in the 3-0 friendly win over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, he isn’t the only one who will feel he is ready to seize that opportunity.
Devine is primarily a right-back, but the 19-year-old is more than willing to play anywhere to get a taste of competitive first-team action, and has vowed not to let Michael Beale down if the new Rangers manager places his faith in him once again later this week.
“Saturday was a big game for me to show what I can do,” Devine said.
“Obviously with the injuries and with Borna being at the World Cup, it’s great opportunity.
“It was excellent. I’m grateful to the manager for picking me for the starting XI and I really enjoyed getting those minutes under my belt.
“I just play where the manager wants me to play. I did a job there on Saturday but hopefully I can stamp my authority and keep playing there.
“You need to perform in training to get your opportunity. If you perform in training I don’t see why you shouldn’t get picked. Everybody is fighting for their place.
“To play regularly for this team you have to be adaptable. All the full-backs at the club are great players and with Tav being captain, it can be hard to get past him.
“But maybe if Borna or Ridvan (Yilmaz) are out the manager might need me to play on the left and I need to show I’m capable of that.”
James Tavernier may be a significant barrier to Devine gaining first-team minutes in his preferred position, but the youngster is in no doubt that his presence at the club will prove hugely beneficial to him as he progresses in his career.
“Tav is a great role model on and off the pitch,” he said.
“He helps with things I can do off the pitch with things like the gym, etc. He also gives me tips for things on the pitch to help improve my game.
“Because we play in the same position, he helps me a lot. But I can’t single anyone out. All the players in the first team have been great since I moved up.
“Playing with the full-backs here are really helped me come on. A few years ago I’d be watching the likes of Borna and Tav week in, week out so I had a rough idea of what their strengths were as I moved up to the first team and I’ve tried to add that to my game.
“Now I’m just working hard every day to improve as much as I can.”
Devine has been hugely impressed by former Ibrox assistant manager Beale since he returned to the club as the main man during the World Cup break, and explained the tweaks he has been making on the training field since replacing Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.
“He’s really set on his game style,” he said.
“He’s come in here to win and as a group that’s what we want to do too.
“As a club, we want success, so things have definitely changes. The intensity has gone right up.
“It’s given everyone a lift. All the players are fighting for a place.
“The manager has come in and his options are open so everybody has fight for their place and look to get in the team.
“He’s given us more freedom. The front players are allowed to play where they want. They’re not tied down to a set position so long as it works for them and helps the team.
“[As defenders] he wants us to jump out and make contact. He doesn’t want passive defending, he wants us to be aggressive.”
The Rangers supporters will likely be quietly excited by what Beale may be able to achieve at the club, given his stellar reputation as a coach and the taster they had of his aggressive approach in the win over Leverkusen.
Devine says though that even with Beale’s familiarity with the squad, and vice-versa, there is still huge room for improvement once he gets his feet firmly under the table and fully puts his stamp on the team.
“He knows a few players but at the same time there is a lot of new boys and we’re trying to get the system back together,” he said.
“That was the first game. There are parts we need to improve but there are similarities there.
“The fans will certainly be there on Thursday so if the team performs and goes out there with a good attitude and desire to win the game for the fans then I’m sure it will be a great night for everybody.”
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