16 duels won: Rangers machine with 7 dribbles may have just saved his Ibrox career - opinion

Rangers have won four games on the bounce to come back from the disappointment of their 3-0 defeat in the Old Firm at the start of February.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s side have beaten Hearts, Hibernian, Annan Athletic and Borussia Dortmund, with John Lundstram’s emergence being one of the key factors behind their strong form.

He was linked with a transfer to Middlesbrough in January as he struggled to make an impression in the early stages of van Bronckhorst’s reign. Chris Wilder was seemingly keen to be reunited with the Englishman, but was unable to get a deal over the line.

Heading into February, he had only started three matches in all competitions under the Dutchman. This suggested that he was out of favour and that a move to Boro could have been on the cards last month.

Instead, he ended up remaining at Ibrox to fight for his place and his performances in February have surely won van Bronckhorst’s heart. He is currently on a run of form that could see him cement a place in the starting XI for the rest of the season and put him into an excellent position heading into the following campaign.

The former Sheffield United man has started three of the four games in February so far, with the cup clash against low-league outfit Annan the only match he was not selected to be in the XI for. Rangers won all three games by an aggregate score of 11-2, with Lundstram stringing together successive excellent displays.

Off the ball, the machine has been working his socks off for the team. As per SofaScore, he won 16 individual duels and made seven tackles and five interceptions. This shows that he has been putting his foot in defensively and winning his battles in the middle of the park, which has helped Rangers to control matches by