Rangers were linked with a move for Ryan Gauld earlier in the transfer window but he has now completed a move to Vancouver Whitecaps, which is a blow for the Ibrox-based club and manager Steven Gerrard.

What's the word?

Gauld, who was once regarded by some as the next big thing in Scottish football during his time at Dundee United, completed an eye-catching move to Sporting Lisbon when he was just 18-years-old.

After a difficult spell with the Liga NOS side, he has rebuilt his reputation with an excellent spell at SC Farense, which seemingly attracted the interest of Rangers, who were linked with his signing earlier this year.

However, he has now completed a move to MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps in a deal reportedly worth £315k, which suggests that he could've been a bargain signing for Gerrard's side this summer.

Upon his signing, Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster had this to say about Gauld and the qualities he will bring to the MLS:

"He is a difference-maker, brings experience, as well as an exceptional work rate, all qualities we identified as being key characteristics that we need in this position."

Would Gauld have been a good signing for Rangers?

Gauld's performances last season certainly suggest that he could have been a stellar addition to Gerrard's squad this summer, and perhaps could have offered a different, more creative option through the middle.

The 25-year-old managed nine goals and seven assists in 33 Liga NOS appearances last season, averaging an impressive 7.19 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Although Gerrard has mainly deployed a 4-3-3 formation during his time at Ibrox, the addition of a natural attacking-midfielder such as Gauld could've allowed him to switch to a more attacking 4-2-3-1 in games where Rangers are expected to dominate, which could also free up more space for the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe to play in behind, rather than having to drop deeper to receive the ball.

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Considering how little the Whitecaps paid for the Scotland U21 international, Gerrard will surely be gutted that Rangers weren't able to bring him in this summer, as he could've been an excellent addition from both a footballing and financial perspective.

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