Rangers were heavily linked with a move for Danilho Doekhi during 2022 and the centre-back would have been the perfect man for Giovanni van Bronckhorst amid his current defensive crisis.

The Dutch defender was first linked with a move to Ibrox in January but the Teddy Bears were told that they would have to pay £2m to prise him away from Vitesse, so gambled on being able to sign him on a free transfer in the summer when his contract with the Eredivisie side expired.

Unfortunately for Rangers, he would join Bundesliga side Union Berlin in May, where he has played a big part in their remarkable success so far this season.

Urs Fischer's side currently sit top of the German top flight, ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, after winning eight and drawing two of their opening 12 domestic fixtures.

The German side could also progress to the Europa League knockout stage this evening as they face Union Saint-Gillioise in their final group stage fixture, so it is clear that something special is brewing at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

Doekhi has certainly been a hit since his arrival in the summer, as he is currently ranked as their second-best player in both the Bundesliga and the Europa League according to WhoScored, after averaging an impressive 7.32 and 7.23 rating in each competition thus far.

In his eight appearances this season, Union Berlin have conceded just three goals and lost only once, which emphasises just how impressive the 6 foot 3 defender has been.

Rangers, meanwhile, have shipped 11 goals in the Premiership and conceded a ridiculous 22 times in the Champions League group stages after some defensive horror shows, so having a player such as Doekhi in the side would have surely made them more secure at the back.

Former Vitesse manager Thomas Letsch was full of praise for Doekhi during his time with the Dutch side, saying:

“He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed at the highest level in every game. Danilho makes almost no mistakes and is an absolute team player, a very calm player."

Injuries to Ben Davies, Filip Helander and Conor Goldson have made things worse for Van Bronckhorst but the Dutch manager will surely be wishing that Rangers had won the race for Doekhi during the summer given his impressive form so far this campaign.

He may well have been the man to take Gers further in Europe.