Don Hutchison has revealed that rejecting Rangers in 2001 remains the biggest regret of his life, and he believes Lewis Ferguson could soon face a similar tug at the heartstrings.
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, the former Scotland international admitted he turned down Dick Advocaat's Rangers to return to West Ham, despite an emotional attachment to Ibrox through his father. He has never lived it down since.
The 2001 Decision That Haunts Hutchison
Hutchison, now TNT Sport's main co-commentator for Serie A coverage, explained the circumstances of his choice. "I was unbelievably close to joining Rangers myself. Advocaat was the manager around 2001 and I was leaving Sunderland. It was Dick and Rangers or Glenn Roeder and West Ham. Financially, it was exactly the same deal. And Rangers were in the Champions League under Advocaat at the time," he said.
"There was a big pull because my dad was a massive Rangers fan and I've always been a supporter as well. I wanted to play for the club. But at the very last second, it was a toss of a coin. Rangers or West Ham. And it's still a regret of mine that I didn't go to Rangers. I went to West Ham for a second spell."
Lewis Ferguson's Dilemma
Hutchison sees parallels with Lewis Ferguson, the Bologna midfielder who has made no secret of his desire to join his boyhood club Rangers. Rangers made enquiries about Ferguson's availability in the summer, but his price tag after an impressive World Cup was out of the Ibrox club's range.
Ferguson, 27, has reiterated his wish to follow in the footsteps of his dad Derek and uncle Barry by pulling on a blue shirt. But Hutchison warns that leaving Italy behind won't be easy. "When the club's so much in your blood, you want to do it at some point. So Lewis might have that burning desire to go and play for Rangers, to tick that box off. It would be great for him and his family. But at the same time, he's playing in Serie A against Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli and Roma," he said.
Life in Italy and Ferguson's Form
Hutchison, who rates Ferguson highly and believes there are no weaknesses in his game, says the midfielder might choose to stay in Italy for now. "On and off the pitch, things are going well for him so he might want to leave it a year or two until he's a bit older. He'll be thinking about where he wants to finish and spend the rest of his life. That might be in Italy or it might be in Glasgow," he added.
He also highlighted the appeal of life in Serie A. "Trevor Chalobah has been at Chelsea and Crystal Palace but he's now living on Lake Como and George Clooney is his next door neighbour! I'm properly jealous of these lads. It's not a bad life in Italy. So Lewis might be happy at Bologna and want to stay there."
Despite some Scotland supporters feeling Ferguson hasn't excelled for the national side as he has for Bologna, Hutchison disagrees. In his second season in Italy, Ferguson was named Serie A's best midfielder and linked with moves to Juventus and AC Milan, before a serious knee injury curtailed his progress.
Hutchison's Verdict on Ferguson
"Ferguson has so much quality. He's a player who can run the midfield for you. He's old-fashioned in that he's a proper number eight, who goes box to box. He's good in duels, competes really well and has good legs. I don't agree that he's not the same player he was a couple of years ago," Hutchison said.
"Look, when you pick up a serious injury, it does take time and you can be a little inconsistent until you're fully fit again. But I don't see that with Ferguson. I see a proper player in him. I've watched him a lot in Serie A and there are no deficiencies in his game. He doesn't shirk a tackle, he wins duels, which managers always talk about."
Hutchison also compared Ferguson to his uncle Barry, his former Scotland teammate. "Barry was a top player. I see little bits of him in Lewis. But I think Barry was ridiculously underrated. He played in a great Rangers side, captained the club and won a lot of trophies. But he could have played for Liverpool or Manchester United," he said.
"In terms of dictating a game and being technically brilliant, Fergie was right up there. He went to Blackburn but he was better than that. We have chats now about what guys in the past would be worth £100 million now. Fergie would be, If he was playing now, he'd be worth over £100m - easy."
