Former Glasgow Rangers starlet John Fleck may be best remembered for becoming the youngest ever player to play in a Scottish Cup final, but it's fair to say that there is far more to him than meets the eye.

Fleck broke through the youth ranks at Ibrox, and made his debut for Rangers at the age of 15, before making his competitive debut against East Stirlingshire a day after his 16th birthday.

He became a first-team regular starter in the 2009/10 Scottish Premiership season, scoring two goals and supplying three assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

But he fell out of favour at Ibrox before leaving his boyhood club as a free agent for Coventry City in 2016.

Where is Fleck now?

Fleck spent four seasons with the now Championship club, then signed for Sheffield United on a free transfer. He has somewhat reinvented himself as a deep-lying midfielder under Chris Wilder, who hailed his performances in the Premier League last season as "incredible" after he received a callup from his country.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, the Blades boss said: “He thoroughly deserves it as he’s been incredible. We brought him in on a free transfer from Coventry when we were in League One and he’s embraced every level since and moved forward.

“He got injured, which was disappointing for him and us, but got back in the team and has kicked on. Being called up again is a great reward for him and hopefully he can do himself justice when he goes up the road.”

Former England and Newcastle striker and Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer heaped praise on the "superb" £7.2m-rated ace after Sheffield United's win against Aston Villa, having highlighted how he had 19 touches of the ball with three of those in the box in the second half.

If Rangers aren't already regretting their decision to let the 3-cap Scotland international leave for free, then they will probably be feeling a little bit aggrieved right now.

Five goals and two assists in the Premier League is a fair attempt by anyone's standards, let alone a player who was so accustomed to playing in the lower echelons of the EFL and suddenly found himself finishing his first full season in the English first division. He has scored 13 goals for the Blades so far, including scoring a sensational screamer against Sheffield Wednesday in the Steel City Derby to silence the home crowd.

By comparison, Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Wilfried Zaha could only manage to score four times in the top fight last term, via WhoScored.

Bring Fleck back?

Granted, the Gers are hardly short of options in the midfield at the moment - in fact, it's safe to say that Steven Gerrard is almost spoilt for choice, especially considering the fact that they have just signed Bongani Zungu on a season-long loan from Amiens.

Back in 2009, the Scotsman was considered to be one of the biggest prospects in Scottish football. Unfortunately, it seems destiny had other plans, and he eventually found his feet at Bramall Lane instead.

But Fleck hasn't ruled out a return in the future, if anything, far from it. The 29-year-old told The Daily Record: “I’m very happy at Sheffield United and the longer that continues, great. But if the chance came further down the line to go back to Rangers I would love it to be honest.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve got unfinished business because I was a small part of a very successful team and was delighted to get some great memories of that squad and the club.

“I’m not sure I could have done anything different in my time at Rangers. I was young and it was a very successful Rangers team at the time."

Steven Gerrard's side cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Celtic at Parkhead on Saturday but they still haven't won a title since the 2020/11 season. Since then, Fleck has won the EFL League One trophy and was named in the League One PFA Team of the Year that same year.

Definitely one to consider in the future, that's for sure. Who knows what might've happened if he had ended up staying at the Ibrox outfit instead?

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard should start Glasgow Rangers ace Ianis Hagi in the Europa League...