THIS town was not deemed to have been big enough for the both of them, but Rangers manager Dick Advocaat might well be wondering 'what if' had he taken a more accommodating approach towards Rino Gattuso rather than making a straight choice between the one-time Govan Gunslinger and the man who has recently inherited the sheriff's badge at the Ibrox saloon, Barry Ferguson.
At a time when the defending champions are so evidently bereft of a vital spark, the highlights of England's international friendly against Italy (surely Advocaat opted instead to cheer on Scotland from the comfort of his armchair) must have been food for thought for the Dutchman.
Out of sight if not exactly out of the minds of those Rangers fans who were saddened and more than a little surprised by the hasty departure of the pocket dynamo, Gattuso burst back on to our screens in typically swashbuckling style during his senior debut for the Azzurri, scoring a scorching winner and affording David Beckham no time to strut his stuff.
However, while the pair clashed on two occasions, the AC Milan midfielder denied striking the England captain and also pleaded innocent to felling him inside the penalty area. He told the official Rangers website: ''All the English papers said I punched him but I don't remember. For me, it wasn't a penalty and I didn't punch Mr Beckham.''
While Gattuso has become a firm favourite in his home country after arriving at the San Siro from Ibrox via Salernitana, he has not ruled out a return to Glasgow.
He said: ''Yes I'd come back to Ibrox one day, no problem. My girlfriend Monica comes from there, so it would be great to come back and play for Rangers again.
''But I'd have to wait until my contract with AC Milan runs out in 2004 and then maybe I can come back. That's four years from now and by that time I'll be 26 or 27, so I could be an asset to Rangers because I'll be more or less the finished article.
''I liked my time in Glasgow and Dick Advocaat is a good manager, but he wanted to play me at right-back and that was no good for me, it wasn't good for a young player to be played out of position. Now I am playing in the right side of midfield for AC Milan and in the centre for Italy, and that suits me.
''In general I'm very happy, of course I am. I mean, we beat England and I scored a beautiful goal which won us the game so why wouldn't I be happy?''
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