Cyriel Dessers has praised James Tavernier after he passed penalty duties on to the striker last night.
Tavernier is usually on spot-kicks, although he let Dessers step up on Wednesday evening because he was just one goal away from reaching 50 in light blue.
The Nigerian converted with aplomb to put Rangers in front with just under 15 to go. It was his second of the evening in an eventual 3-1 win over Dundee United.
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Dessers revealed post-match that Tavernier agreed to let him hit a spot-kick if push came to shove: "We spoke briefly about it and obviously to hit the 50 with a penalty was going to be a good feeling," he said.
"So I have to thank Tav because normally he’s the number one taker and he does it very well. Will I tell him it’s now my job? I don’t think it will be as easy as that!
"I think it says a lot about Tav as a captain that he made that gesture. Because we all know that Tav also loves his goals. He loves his set-pieces, penalties, free-kicks and corner kicks. He takes them amazingly well. So to give that one to me speaks for him as a person and as a captain. I was really thankful to him for that.
"The way Tav stays calm and focused, doing his thing here, is admirable. It’s something all players can learn from. Rangers is a beautiful club but not an easy club to play for. So to be here for 10 years and play 500 games, that definitely means something."
