You only have to go back a couple of months when it appeared Glen Kamara’s Rangers career was at a crossroads under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Hooked at the interval in the dismal 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park, the Dutchman’s more physical approach compared to Steven Gerrard's iteration left Kamara at risk of being cast aside.
Yet his performances in Rangers’ run to the Europa League final have been among his finest during in his time at Ibrox.
Deployed in a more advanced role, the Finland international has characterised the flexibility of van Bronckhorst’s approach on the continent.
After a first leg in Leipzig where Rangers struggled for an out ball until Joe Aribo was moved up to play as a central striker, it was immediately apparent that van Bronckhorst had devised a blueprint to compensate for the lack of a traditional No.9 in the return leg a week later.
With Aribo deployed in a similar role, van Bronckhorst used Kamara as a quasi-target man to help retain the directness in Rangers’ play.
Minutes later, a similar move led to the opening goal of the evening.
As highlighted in the Rangers Review’s analysis of the second leg victory, there was a clear emphasis on ball circulation across the backline to draw RB Leipzig forward. From there, Rangers could target the space between the midfield and defensive lines.
As Borna Barisic sends another long pass forward, Kamara is grappling with Kevin Kampl.
He wins the physical duel, getting his body infront of the Leipzig midfielder.
With Ryan Kent making an overlapping run on the touchline, Leipzig double up on Kamara in order to recover possession.
However, the midfielder shows immense strength to hold off the attentions of both players, poking the ball through to Kent who has acres of space to pick out James Tavernier at the far post.
It is an area of Kamara’s game which was scarcely evident under Gerrard, where there were restrictions on the Finland international’s ability to join the forward line and facilitate attacking sequences.
Ianis Hagi’s strike in the 1-0 win over Hibernian on Boxing Day last season offered a glimpse into Kamara’s back-to-goal ability.
As the ball is fed into the midfielder, his strength in holding off his marker allows Rangers the time to pull Hibs’ defensive line apart.
He then feeds the ball through to Kemar Roofe who later lashes it across goal for the Romanian to steam in and score.
Kamara’s game has been characterised by the intelligent use of his body, which has been underpinned by his exceptional awareness when receiving the ball.
Van Bronckhorst has been able to transfer those very same qualities into more advanced areas on the pitch.
Kamara’s knowhow in when to take the ball in, and when to pop it off quickly, allows Rangers to play through the lines with fluidity.
Less than a minute into the away leg in Braga in the quarter-finals, the Gers were able to cut through the Portuguese side with an up, back and through combination. Kamara’s capacity to play one-touch was vital.
As John Lundstram escapes pressure in his own defensive third, Kamara identifies the space to receive a pass.
Lundstram then makes an angle to receive the ball back, before he plays a direct pass into Fashion Sakala in the forward line.
Kamara moves up to support the Zambian and, after the ball is fed back to him, he releases Kent in-behind the Braga defence with a first-time through pass.
The Finland international has shown a growing tendency to drift towards the left-hand side in his advanced role, which is designed to prevent the opposition from doubling up on Kent on the flanks.
By occupying a position on the inside left, Kamara is able to keep the opposition's defensive shape narrow and leave Kent isolated one-on-one on the wings.
Rangers’ pass map in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig highlights Kamara’s tendency to look left towards Kent, with the thickness of the red line illustrating the volume of passes between the two players.
By drifting towards the left-hand side, Kamara is not only able to attract players away from Kent, but he is similarly able to offer quick passing combinations to free the former Liverpool man into space.
READ MORE: Rangers' meteoric Europa League rise in matches: The pivotal moments that led to Seville
The 25-year-old’s strike in Belgrade in the last 16 was the product of Kamara’s repurposed role under van Bronckhorst in Europe.
As Kent dribbles inside, Kamara drops off from his position in the forward line.
His movement drags the Red Star Belgrade defender out of the backline, before he uses his strength to hold him off and deliver a cute, round-the-corner return pass to Kent.
The winger then has a clear run through to goal after Kamara has effectively cleared the space.
RB Leipzig boss Domenico Tedesco was one of several opposition managers who have namechecked Kent as the danger man for Rangers, with there being a clear emphasis among opponents in stifling the threat of the 25-year-old.
However, the intelligent deployment of Kamara from van Bronckhorst has a created a dual threat in advanced positions on the left-hand side.
Kamara’s versatility also means that, when required, he can operate in a more conventional midfield role.
In the semi-final first leg in Leipzig, van Bronckhorst aimed to keep the scoreline tight by setting his side up in a compact 5-3-2 defensive block – shifting to a 5-4-1 in the second half.
With Lundstram having dropped into the defensive line, Kamara assumed the role as one of the deepest midfielders.
The Finland international’s receptions map from the evening shows how deep he was forced to operate in possession.
However, his ability to evade Leipzig pressure allowed Rangers to retain the ball and alleviate the defensive burden on the team.
In a game where Rangers will be required to show multiple faces, Kamara’s ability to shift between roles will be vitally important.
The Finland international has underlined his attacking improvement in recent months with a couple of well-taken goals, but it has been his ability to act as a quasi-target man which has benefited the side most in the absence of both Roofe and Alfredo Morelos.
By leveraging his back-to-goal qualities in attacking areas, Kamara has struck up a fruitful partnership with Kent on the left-hand side. In doing so, van Bronckhorst has devised a plan to prevent opponents from doubling up on his side’s standout threat. Most of all, however, Kamara’s performances in the knockout stages have underlined his gifted ability.
The midfielder looked at risk of being left behind by the shift in approach under van Bronckhorst earlier this year, but he’s adapted to the more physical demands of the Dutchman with aplomb.
Rangers' very own chameleon has helped make the impossible possible in the absence of a No.9 for Rangers.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here