TED MCMINN, the former Rangers and Derby County winger, believes Mark Warburton will be taking a 'gamble' if he signs midfielder John Eustace this summer.
The 35-year-old will spend the next four weeks training with Rangers as he looks to earn a contract that could bring him to Ibrox for twelve months.
Eustace is currently a free agent after leaving Derby at the end of the season but he has not played since January after he sustained a knee cartilage injury during a Championship fixture with Ipswich Town. He was not offered a deal at Pride Park following the appointment of Paul Clement as the Rams' new manager last month.
Warburton has already added Danny Wilson, Rob Kiernan and Wes Foderingham to his squad ahead of the new campaign but McMinn, who spent five years with Derby and still lives in the East Midlands, knows a move for Eustace carries a risk.
"I saw his interview when he arrived in Glasgow and he wasn't sure he would be fit to train for a couple of weeks," McMinn said. "It is a gamble for Rangers. For the player, at 35, he has got a club like Rangers after him and it could be his swansong. It is a gamble for Rangers, though.
"I found out he had been released from Derby and then got a few messages saying he had been linked with Rangers and I thought 'what is the manager's thinking there?' Is it for experience and to have an older head? It will be up to the manager to see how he does over the next couple of weeks and we will see what happens then."
Warburton has spoken positively about the prospect of bringing Eustace to Ibrox in recent weeks and praised the Englishman's professionalism and leadership skills as he looks to add experience to his squad. Eustace is likely to be in the running to be named captain next season if he signs on the dotted line but McMinn insists he will have to prove he is ready to lead from the front first.
"He is a fit lad and he does look after himself so hopefully there are no problems there," he said. "I have seen him in training and he is a fit lad.
"He is quite vocal and he has been talked about as a captain. I am not sure about that. But, then again, who is left from the ones that didn't get released that are natural leaders?"
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