Is Ridvan Yilmaz Rangers' future? Lets play him and find out!

The 21-year-old Turk has endured a tough start to life in Glasgow since arriving from Besiktas for a sizeable fee.

Like many in the first-team squad, he’s spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch with just three full 90 minutes to his name in the early rounds of the League Cup and a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Napoli in the Champions League.

A severe hamstring injury picked up after just eight minutes of the 4-1 win over Aberdeen at the end of October kept him out for several months before returning in the triumph over Motherwell at Fir Park in March.

He replaced Borna Barisic who was allowed to return to his native Croatia for the birth of his son but Ridvan’s only other outing under Michael Beale came on Sunday when he was introduced as a second-half substitute with Rangers chasing an elusive equaliser in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

It’s evident, up to this point, that Barisic is Beale’s preferred option at left-back but with five games of the league season remaining and nothing at stake but pride, is now not the time for a consistent run of games?

“We have an outstanding left-back in Borna and an outstanding young one in Ridvan as well,” Beale responded speaking about his options back in February. 

“He was bought with an eye on the future and creating competition as we lost a fantastic one in the summer in Calvin Bassey.

"Just before he got injured he started to excite the fans with what he could bring. He’s a different type of attacking full-back. He arrives and runs past the wide player whereas Borna is someone who has that fantastic crossing.

"It’s a lovely blend to have. And then you can pick and choose which one you would have and when.”

Beale’s comment about the future is intriguing. It’s a view shared by recently appointed chairman John Bennett when he gave an interview to RangersTV in September.

On the subject of transfers, he said: “We haven’t seen enough of them but we will do. You take another young player, Yilmaz.

“Yes, we spent significant money on that transfer but we signed him for five years, not five weeks or five months.”

It was in response to speculation at the time regarding the Turkish international and a possible loan move back to his homeland.

Those rumours haven’t gone to bed, perhaps unsurprisingly given his lack of action on the pitch.

Quite simply, given the vast sum paid to the Istanbul giants for his services, Ridvan should be playing. Rangers cannot afford to be spending that amount of money on players not making a serious impact in the first team.

Changes are afoot at Ibrox and the last five Premiership fixtures provide Beale with the perfect opportunity to make a proper assessment as to whether Ridvan has the tools to form part of his Rangers rebuild.

There are concerns amongst some quarters that, given his diminutive stature, he isn’t suited to the industrial nature of Scottish football but without playing regularly it’s difficult to collate the evidence to support such a claim.

READ MORE: 'Crossing is dead' - Why Ridvan Yilmaz inclusion can solve Rangers' left-side problems

It’s up to Ridvan to dislodge Barisic and make the position his own. As much as he splits opinion amongst the fanbase, the Croatian has convinced Beale that he is the best man for the job up to this point. His inclusion on the three-man Player of the Year shortlist supports that.

The starting line-up against Aberdeen on Sunday will tell us plenty. If Barisic is to retain his place it may well point towards a summer departure for Ridvan and, ultimately, an expensive transfer gone wrong.

Should Rangers look to offload him, you'd like to think they would recoup most, if not all, of the outlay they initially paid Besiktas for his services. This is a player who is in the relative infancy of his playing career, capped at international level and highly regarded in Turkey.

Of the handful of appearances he has made in a Rangers jersey, Ridvan has looked bright and dynamic and as Michael Beale highlighted, he offers something different to Barisic's style.

We know Rangers next season will look vastly different to the one that has meandered through this disappointing campaign but question marks remain as to who will occupy the left-hand flank going forward.

Ridvan simply has to win that battle - otherwise the club have to cash in.