4 Rangers transfer near misses as World XI box office quartet finally get their Ibrox day

The clocks went forward as the players rolled back the years at Ibrox and for the Rangers fans it was also a chance to see what might have been.

A trio of players on display sported the black of the visiting World XI but if things had turned out differently during their careers then they might well have pulled on the light blue of Rangers having all been linked with a move to Govan at some point over the last two decades - including Robbie Fowler who was in the away dug-out.

Some of the players on display looked like they could still do a job now for Michael Beale’s men with Jack Wilshere showing flashes of the brilliance that saw him shoot to prominence with Arsenal and England in his early days. But Robin van Persie was the star of the show with a couple of goals in the 4-3 victory for the global greats. Here, Record Sport looks at four players who could have pitched up at Ibrox.

The Liverpool legend’s agent George Scott was Scottish and speculation persisted throughout his career that a move to Rangers could be on the cards. Ironically, it was Alex McLeish who was in the opposite dug-out to him on Sunday who apparently fancied him in his final season in charge.

But interest really ramped up when Walter Smith returned for a second spell at Ibrox in 2007. Fowler was 32-years-old at the time and left Anfield after returning for a season. A representative of Fowler said at the time: "Robbie wants to play for Rangers. It would be ideal for him. He wants to come and add medals to his collection. It would be a major boost for the fans.

"Commercially, it would also be beneficial in terms of the number of strips they would sell. He could also score the goals that would qualify them for the Champions League. The signing