Mark Hateley has always been the benchmark for Rangers career turnarounds.

Despite coming from Monaco via AC Milan, the legendary striker took his time to show his class.

And while the biggest part of his success was getting clear of niggling injury, Hateley was also smart enough to realise Scottish football would require a different type of physique and he added over a stone in muscle to ready himself for the weekly fight.

We haven't quite gotten to the root of John Lundstram's astonishing turnaround as a Rangers player, but we are definitely in Hateley territory.

His legend seems to grow by the hour with a video taken by a Celtic fan only adding to his burgeoning mystique.

It shows a non-plussed Lundstram walking a gauntlet of abuse on his way to the Rangers team bus after the 1-1 draw with Celtic at Parkhead yesterday. While some other players take an eyes-down approach, Lundstram carries the swagger of a man revelling in the opprobrium. He stares into the crowd with the totally unruffled style he's been displaying for weeks on the grass.

It's hard to underplay how big an impact he's had in adding his monstrous physicality to the centre of the Ibrox midfield but it's also a huge mistake to identify his performances as those of a bruiser.

Lundstram has the ability to find a pass with both feet and maintains a consistently sweet connection with the ball that allows him to deliver across the pitch with pace and unerring accuracy. It's a crucial part of Rangers' attacking arsenal, even though his gifts are mostly used in a defensive capacity.

It wasn't always like this of course. 

While Steven Gerrard and the club moved heaven and earth to persuade the Scouser to sign on the dotted line amid serious interest from Premier League clubs, it didn't always appear a happy marriage.

Lundstram cut a frustrated figure under Gerrard, struggling with the burden of automatisation needed to fit seamlessly into a tactically complex midfield system.

A series of mistakes and clunky performances were capped off by a daft red card against Alashkert that could have sent the Ibrox club spinning out of the Europa League prior to the group stages against opposition of any decent standard.

And things didn't get a whole lot better as autumn moved into winter despite the odd decent performance. Lundstram's quality was obvious but the entire deal was starting to look an imperfect blend.

Enter Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

READ MORE: The two defining Rangers moments that epitomise underwhelming campaign

While the Dutchman took his time to introduce the 28-year-old, there were no question marks internally about his work rate, desire or temperament.

Quickly, the former Feyenoord boss began to wonder if the tank-like midfielder might not be a solution to a nightmare series of injuries at the back.

This notion has evolved over the months to Lundstram becoming the lynchpin of the team, providing his tactical tinkerman boss with the flexibility to flit between five and four in defence seamlessly.

This kernel of an idea provided a platform, but the player himself has taken his game to another level entirely. He now owns a Rangers midfield cluttered with experienced, quality players.

It was, therefore, no surprise to see him modelling the club's new Castore kit in leaked images last month - a key sign of status in modern football.

A blend of personality, tactical acumen, physicality and technical quality, Lundstram is now the beating heart of this side on and off the pitch.

As Giovanni van Bronckhorst aims to make history in the remaining weeks of a tumultuous campaign, he will be central to everything to follow.

And when the time comes to start talking about next season's inevitable rebuild, it's Lundstram that should be the first stone in the foundations of a new Rangers.