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James Tavernier spent the first six years of his career moving from club to club, on loan deal after loan deal. But a move to Scotland gave the Englishman the stability he surely craved. Should the 33-year-old captain play against Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday, it will be his 500th appearance in a Rangers jersey. That will leave him just 26 short of Ian Mc Coll in 10th place in the club's all-time appearance list. Tavernier's Rangers story started almost a decade ago when he was brought to the club by then-manager Mark Warburton on a three-year deal. At the time of his July 2015 move from Wigan Athletic, the right-back said: "It's a massive club and it was an easy decision for me. I like to get forward and create goals. " He wasn't wrong, as his records over those 10 years show. .. Ferguson's Rangers veer from 'horrendous' to 'different class' Ferguson's Rangers beat Kilmarnock with thrilling fightback Latest Rangers news, analysis and fan views In his debut season, Tavernier scored 10 goals in the Scottish Championship, including the goal that sealed the club's promotion back to the Premiership. With that he won his first Rangers honour. A second soon followed as he helped them lift the Challenge Cup. More significant trophies would follow. Steven Gerrard arrived at Ibrox amid fanfare in the summer of 2018 and gave the goalscoring defender the captain's armband. Tavernier appeared to relish the responsibility, leading by example and scoring 17 times in 57 appearances. The following season, the goals dried up, with just three in 46 games. But his scoring feats returned in the 2020-21 campaign amid a memorable Scottish Premiership title-winning season. Tavernier scored 12 league goals as Rangers prevented Celtic winning an unprecedented 10 titles in a row, while he was part of a defence that conceded just 13. After clinching Rangers' 55th league title - the club's first since 2011 - Tavernier's next trophy was the Scottish Cup under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in 2022. It was the first time in 13 years the club had lifted the trophy. Under Philippe Clement - his sixth permanent Rangers manager - Tavernier scored the only goal to clinch the League Cup in 2023-24. The Englishman, who started his career at Newcastle United but made just two Premier League appearances in five years amid six loan spells, has also made a mark in Europe. He scored five times across qualifying and the group stages of the Europa League during his club's title-winning season. The following year, Tavernier surpassed that with seven, becoming the only player with a Scottish club to ever finish top scorer in the tournament. Those strikes helped Rangers reach the Europa League final but, despite scoring in their penalty shootout against Eintracht Frankfurt, it ended in heartbreak with a 5-4 loss on spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw. "I'm devastated, " Tavernier said at the time. "We wanted to make everyone proud but we didn't get over the line. We went toe-to-toe with them and to lose on penalties hurts. " The appearances and the goals continued over the next couple of seasons. And in March 2024, a goal against Hibernian ensured Tavernier became the highest-scoring defender in British professional football history. But later that year - and into this season - questions started to be asked among some sections of the support over his commitment to the club and his form. He was linked with a move away, with former manager Gerrard supposedly keen on a reunion in Saudi Arabia when the ex-Liverpool captain was in charge of Al-Ettifaq. That talk was heightened when Belgian Clement replaced him not long after the hour in this season's League Cup semi-final against Motherwell. Although the manager refused to be drawn on his reasoning, three days later Tavernier was dropped for the Europa League tie against Olympiakos. The captain faced up to his critics, saying: "I know the position I am in. I am on the frontline so I am going to get the criticism but I can fully take it. " But, with Clement gone, as Tavernier approaches his landmark 500th appearance, he has been backed by yet another manager, with interim boss Barry Ferguson confirming he remains a big part of his plans. That should ensure he runs out on Saturday against Motherwell for his half millennium of appearances. And if he scores in the Ibrox encounter, it will be the 102nd league goal of his career. 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