Former Rangers boss Mark Warburton says that James Tavernier is still an asset to the club and hopes he extends his stay at Ibrox.

The Rangers Hall of Famer’s contract is up at the end of the season and there has been a lot of speculation surrounding his future.

Tavernier joined the Light Blues 11 years ago and was signed by Warburton in the Scottish Championship.

Speaking on the GersNet Podcast, Warburton couldn’t speak highly enough of his former player and believes Tavernier can always contribute to the team.

“I know Tav so well. I’ve said enough things, Tav knows – huge respect for him as a person and a player.

“He’s come through some tough times, he’s had a lot of criticism thrown at him, and he’s weathered the storm.

“He’s just a genuinely good person. I would love to see him stay. Maybe, it’s a chance for him to go and get a payday somewhere, not in terms of being greedy, but his career will come to an end sooner rather than later.

“But I’d just love to see him stay at Rangers and he can always contribute on and off the field, on the bench, on the training pitch, he’s someone who will give everything for Rangers.”

The right-back has been a main stay in the Gers starting 11 since 2015 and Warburton believes there needs to be more people in the game that have a similar attitude and approach to their craft like Tavernier does.

“I can’t remember Tav ever missing a training session, let alone a game.

“He enjoys his trade and there’s loads of players that don’t enjoy it enough and they don’t realise the privilege they’ve got of being a player but Tav has never lost sight of that fact.

“Always smiled, from the first time I spoke to him – it was a smile and you go ‘yes the guy loves it’ it’s infectious.

“I just think he’s good around the club. He’s been a huge contributor to Rangers now over the last ten or 11 years or more.

“But I just think for me, he’s an asset and assets are hard to find and I would love to see the club and Tav come to some sort of an agreement that works for both parties.