He is the quiet man currently making all the noise for Rangers in the middle of the park.
Ibrox assistant Gary McAllister has never seen Steven Davis play any better and considers him key to any success Rangers will enjoy against Legia Warsaw.
Steven Gerrard’s side have never been behind in any Europa League qualifier since he joined the club 15 months ago.
That record will be given its sternest test over the coming week, starting in front of 30,000 fans in the Polish Army Stadium on Thursday night in the first leg of the playoff round.
Davis is the beating heart of the Rangers side after finding his feet again in the second half of last season following his loan move from Southampton.
It took him until towards the end of the campaign to get up to speed again after being lightly used over the previous 12 months at St Mary’s in the Premier League.
Now? McAllister, one of the finest midfielder of his generation, reckons the Northern Ireland skipper isn’t so much roaring for Rangers as purring like a top-of-the-range car in the Light Blues’ engine room.
The former Scotland skipper said: “Steven is probably not as vocal as I thought he might be given his experience but he leads differently. He does that by his play and his bravery getting on the ball. He doesn’t shy away from it.
“That sends messages right through the team. Some people look at bravery as launching yourself into massive tackles, but receiving the ball with four men around you in a tight area to help a team mate? That’s bravery.
“It is the control he gives us. There are moments when you are sitting at the side during matches and the team needs to gain control, take touches again and gain some momentum. Steven is generally there.
“He is a very brave player. He receives the ball under pressure. He is streetwise.
“I don’t know if I have seen him play better, although I didn’t see a great deal of him when he played at Rangers the first time.
“However, some of the football he is playing just now is really good. He is not just such a constructive player, he is also snapping into tackles in front of the back four. He is winning a lot of ball and intercepting things. He looks really sharp.
“He also makes those runs from deep on occasion and they can surprise the opposition - against Hibs, for example, he won the ball, drove through their defence and stood the ball up for Jermain to score at the back post.
“He is just on top of his game at the moment and is a player who knows the demands here. He is passing those demands on, every day. He trains how he plays.”
McAllister, manager Gerrard and coach Michael Beale identified alack of ruthlessness in their side last season as a key factor in their failure to go the distance.
They proved they can compete with, and defeat, Celtic on one off occasions but they lacked the mental strength to grind out the single goal victories that provide the foundations on which titles are won and lost.
McAllister believes the mental strength of their team has been improved by their recruitment over the summer, as well as their creative options in the middle of the pitch around the mercurial presence of former Aston Villa kid Davis.
He added: “If you look at our goalkeeper and up through the spine of the team, we have guys who are setting the levels.
“One guy I haven’t mentioned in terms of leadership is Connor Goldson, who hasn’t put a foot wrong.
“Tav (James Tavernier) is also key to our tactics and our play, as well as being captain, and he is also looking sharp.
“As a midfield player, my eye is always drawn to that area of the park because I always think games are won and lost in there. If you control the middle of the park you win games.
“From where I am sitting, we are playing a lot of good football and showing a lot of control just now. Part of that is tactically, but also technically as well.
“Some of the play is very intricate. We are taking risks and being brave.
“We have added Joe Aribo to the squad and he has the ability to maybe go and play a line higher - that’s something we might look at.
“We have added Andy King and young Greg Docherty has really benefited from going down to Shrewsbury, where he played over 35 games and was their player of the year. It’s nice and healthy in there.
“The younger midfield players definitely benefit from working beside Steven Davis. He doesn’t just skip through training. What you see at the weekend is what we see here at the training centre every day.
“We don’t flog people in training. With the amount of games we play, it is short and sharp - and Steven is always one who is particularly lively. We are in a good place.”
Legia fans are relishing their clash with Rangers, home and away, and unveiled a light hearted banner during their 1-0 victory over Zaglebie on Sunday.
It promised a Warsaw invasion of Scotland - and even vowed to leave their wives and children in tears, reading: ‘Wives are crying, children are crying, each one of us is flying to Glasgow.’
Rangers are ready too and McAllister added: “The games against Legia are crucial for us. The profile of the club doesn’t half take a hike if we get to the Europa League group stage again.
“I loved the games last season against Villarreal, Spartak and Rapid at Ibrox. Big games under the lights at Ibrox, against those top end clubs, are something that just take our players up another level.
“Those are games in which you have to be really switched on.”
