James Tavernier insists there is no limit to the number of goals Martyn Waghorn can score for Rangers this season

Certainly, with 15 to his credit already this season, Waghorn is a man reborn. He arrived north from Wigan Athletic with Tavernier in the summer with his career in desperate need of a boost following an extremely mixed spell at the DW Stadium.

He scored just three goals last term as the Latics tumbled out of the SkyBet Championship. He certainly could not be termed a first-team regular.

He is now establishing himself as one of the first names on his current manager Mark Warburton's teamsheet, though, and Tavernier can sense a whole, new mood of optimism within him.

"Waggy is benefiting from the run of games and the confidence he's getting from playing every week," said the defender.

"There are some games in which he is not scoring, but he is playing a big part in providing assists.

"He was like myself down at Wigan. We were in and out because, unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of consistency in the team.

"If he didn't score, he was out of the team the next week and that is going to kill your confidence.

"My confidence was a little bit down too and I wanted to get out on loan, so I went to Bristol City.

"Waggy maybe only got a handful of goals at his previous clubs, but he has hit the ground running here.

"With the amount of chances we create, more and more goals will come from him.

"I think the fans are seeing what he can bring to the team with his hold-up play, creativity, assists and goals.

"He is a good all-round player and he can play up front, left or right. What's more, he will only get better.

"You could say that he will double his tally he's got now and we're only one-third of the way through the season.

"He will set himself targets in terms of how many he wants to score and he is a great finisher in training."

Waghorn's adaptability is one of the qualities Warburton admires most about him. He can play anywhere along the frontline and players capable of operating in a number of roles is what the Ibrox manager wants as he prepares to bolster his squad in January.

"When you have a tight, lean squad, you need players who can play in more than one position," he said.

"People like Barrie McKay can play left, right, number eight or number 10 and Dom Ball can play holding midfielder or right centre back.

"Martyn can play down the middle, off the striker or wide, so he gives us that flexibility.

"Games change whether it's at half-time, after the hour mark or the 75th minute. The tempo or the pace can change and it's how best you maximise someone's talent.

"Look at Andy Halliday. He can play number four, number eight or number 10, but he is equally happy at left-back.

"Jason Holt can play wide or inside, Dean Shiels can play holding midfielder, Tav can play wide or right-back and Fraser Aird is the same."

Tavernier, however, prefers to see Waghorn through the centre.

"It's great when players can play different positions, but I'd say he's best up top," remarked the ex-Newcastle United man.

Life in the Ladbrokes Championship is becoming tougher for Rangers, though, as they prepare to visit St Mirren Park this afternoon.

Teams are tailoring their gameplans following the first quarter of the season and Tavernier expects increasingly defensive tactics as the campaign develops.

"We have played against every team and you can see they've changed the way they approach the games," he said.

"They sit in, with two banks. No matter the quality of player you have, it's going to be really hard to break down 10 players behind the ball.

"We're not winning the games with the big numbers we were at the beginning of the season, but we still feel like we're finding a way to win against the teams that are sitting in.

"Barcelona have that kind of thing every week, when they're trying to attack.

"There's a long history of teams sitting in against bigger teams and we've just got to be patient."