Rangers want Stuart McCall to transform Dean Furman – into the next Stuart McCall!
The young South African, who is with City until January 5, plays the same central-midfield role as the gaffer.
And the highly-rated Furman hopes to pick up some tricks of the trade during his time under the Ibrox Hall of Famer.
He said: “People at Rangers have said that I’m quite similar to Stuart McCall in the way I play, which is a good thing. So I’m trying to learn a lot off him while I’m down here.
“Stuart is a living legend for Rangers as part of the nine-in-a-row squad and I’m well aware of his past. As soon as you mention his name, people always talk about what he achieved.
“Sometimes on loan you can get overlooked but there’s a close bond there between Stuart and Rangers. He worked under Walter Smith years ago and played with Ally McCoist so the link will always be there, which is good for me.
“It’s weird but Rangers are more than a club. There is this hold over you and obviously Stuart played for them for a long time.”
McCall, who likens Furman to Nicky Law, has already been imp-ressed by what he has seen in training.
And the 20-year-old, who left Cape Town for Lon-don when he was five, is eager to make an impression as soon as possible to force his way in.
Furman added: “It’s always nice to be joining a team at the top rather than a struggling one. But obviously it’s all the harder for me to get into the team because they are going well.
“Coming from Rangers means nothing, it’s all about performance. I’ve got to take every chance to prove what I can do and fight for a place.
“It’s always difficult coming into a new club but you can see there’s a good spirit in the camp and I’m sure I will settle in quickly.”
Furman caught the eye in pre-season and had planned to shelve any loan plans until Christmas in case first-team opportunities cropped up at Ibrox in the meantime.
But a flurry of midfield captures in recent weeks convinced the youngster it was right to look elsewhere sooner.
“I’ve been involved in Old Firm games and cup finals in Scotland. Obviously I’ve not got on, but you take in as much as you can from the sidelines and the experience is unbelievable.”
Rangers will keep close tabs on Furman during his time south of the border and reserve chief Tommy Wilson will make regular scouting trips to Valley Parade.
Meanwhile, rookie centre half Adrian Bellamy has joined Salford City on a two-month loan.
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