KEVIN Thomson admits he will be saddened if Barry Ferguson leaves Rangers this summer, but the injured midfielder insists they will be able to cope without the deposed skipper should he head out the Ibrox exit door.
Ferguson returned to the first team in the latter stages of last season after being stripped of the captaincy and banned by the club for his part in the infamous 'Boozegate' affair while on duty with Scotland.
However, a question mark remains ove
r his Rangers future and he is expected to leave before the new Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign gets under way.
The 31-year-old could even be set for a surprise return to the Barclays Premier League, with Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish refusing to rule out a move for the player he brought back to Rangers from Blackburn Rovers in 2005.
"Fergie is a top player, he is a top lad," said Thomson of his fellow midfielder. "He is friends with a lot of the boys at the club. I've been here for three years now and I've got to know him well. He is a top player and I've never said anything different. It would be a blow to lose any of your top players but it's a situation that doesn't really involve the players. It's something that will be sorted out between him and his advisors and the club. If he's here, great. If he's not, we have to move on."
One player who would arguably be a much bigger loss to Rangers is Steven Davis, who has also been linked with a return south of the border. Reports at the weekend suggested the Northern Ireland international could be the subject of a £5 million bid from English Premier League side Sunderland.
Thomson admits he is not surprised the midfielder has been linked with a move back to England's top flight.
"Steve is a top player and I'm sure he will be linked with a lot of clubs," he said. "He was absolutely fantastic last season and most of the boys at Murray Park would be delighted to keep him. Hopefully I will see him on 9 July and fingers crossed he will be playing for Rangers next season."
Meanwhile, Thomson is confident of recapturing the form he demonstrated in the early part of last season despite being out of action since November.
A cartilage injury has sidelined the 24-year-old for the last seven months but he has targeted a return at the start of the new SPL season and believes he will soon be back to his best.
He said: "If you look at the form that I recaptured after my first injury, I went on to captain a very successful Hibs side and managed to get a move to Rangers. I have no doubts about my ability. Whether it takes me a month or it takes me three or four months, I'm pretty sure I can get back to the same form as the day the injury happened."
However, he does expect to face fierce competition for a place in Walter Smith's plans, adding: "I think it should be difficult for any player.
"Competition at a big club should always be tough. There are some top midfielders here and I think we are very strong in that department. I'm relishing the battle. I've been out of the team for a long time.
"I suffered a serious injury which, at the time, was bad timing and bad luck. But I've been on a long road to recovery and I'm almost there now. The battle to get back in the team and get back playing is something I'm driving for."
