Maurice Edu is on the verge of a return to the Rangers line-up after four months on the sidelines. The American international has been out since the Rangers championship-winning match against Dundee United in late May but expects to return to full training very shortly.

One man who believes Edu's return will be a boost for the Scottish club is New England Revolution coach and former Liverpool and Scotland star Steve Nicol.

"He's a player who can perform in a number of different roles," Nicol said.

"He's not just a central midfielder. That's probably where he prefers to play but he's got that ability to step in to other positions. If you can play at centre-back it's obvious that you have the ability to read the game, so he is a real asset."

Nicol added that Edu was brilliant when he was a young player with Toronto FC and looks forward to seeing him perform well in the Scottish Premier League.

"In the MLS, for such a young player he was someone Toronto relied on," Nicol said.

"You knew he was a player of real quality when you came up against him, even though he was inexperienced. He picks good positions, he defends well, but he also distributes the ball well, so you've a guy who has a lot of ability."