Rangers may regret a January neglect of their defence - the man they needed won't be far away today

Attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey is set to feature for Rangers today against Hearts, after his loan move from Juventus on deadline-day, but it is at the other end of the pitch which requires focus in terms of transfer dealings for the defending cinch Premiership champions.

John Souttar has been one of the best defenders in the league this season and, on the back of his performances for Hearts, has earned a recall to the Scotland set-up and a lucrative pre-contract deal with Rangers. The 25-year-old will move west at the end of the season. Those at Ibrox tried to get him sooner, but failed with at least three January bids that were deemed unsatisfactory by the Jambos.

The fanfare that greeted Ramsay’s arrival – and it was right to crow over the Welshman’s signing, such is his ability – overshadowed a failure by Rangers to properly address a key flaw in their team right now: defence.

Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst can’t say he wasn’t warned. He watched his team ship three goals to Ross County last Saturday, and then Celtic blew them away on Wednesday to move ahead of Rangers in the title race. Granted, Souttar would not have been able to play in the derby due to a small ankle issue, but for the rest of the season, he would make a massive difference to an increasingly porous backline.

Connor Goldson is a mainstay in the centre of Rangers’ defence but who plays next to him is an area of concern. Filip Helander has a long-term hamstring injury, Leon Balogun is only just coming back to full fitness, Jack Simpson is well out of the picture and Calvin Bassey, who has filled in the past few months, is needed at left-back due to Borna Barisic’s alarming drop in form. Souttar would enhance Rangers’ defence right now, of that