Hughes: Arfield wasn’t riled by Latapy as a kid .. now he’s grown into first pick in Rangers line-up

non-stop at training and it was a massive test for Scott.

“Scott was pitted up against Russell almost every day for a couple of months and he kept coming back for more.

“I used to tell Russell to rile him at training and not to let up. I wanted to see what kind of temperament Scott had.

“I was testing his character severely but he did everything with enthusiasm and a smile on his face.

“Russell didn’t hold back, especially during training games – and you know how talented he was. Yet Scott didn’t bat an eyelid and went in and held his own.

“Scott never shied away from hard work as he couldn’t get enough of it. I had total respect for everybody but I knew then Scott was a great kid and he was something special.

“Scott soon started to get in about Russell and it was a great education for him.

“It was fantastic to watch him develop as a player like that.

“All we had to do was get him into the Falkirk first team and I knew once that happened his career would take off – and it did.

“During pre-season at Falkirk I used to say to players that what they were doing at the club was not enough and to get to the very top they had to be doing other stuff. Scott took that on board.

“I remember one of the Falkirk boys was sitting in his car at traffic lights in Livingston where he stayed and who runs past him on a freezing night when it was pouring with rain but Scott doing his extra training.

“That was Scott in a nutshell. I saw him as a 15-year-old and it was his natural enthusiasm that made me want to sign him immediately.”

It is an attitude Hughes has admired, which is why he is delighted to see his one-time protege thriving at Ibrox under the tutelage of Steven Gerrard. Arfield has racked up six goals and four assists in his debut season at Rangers having moved from Premier League side Burnley.

And Yogi believes that with Ovie Ejaria cutting his loan stint short to return to Liverpool, Gerrard has a ready-made No.10 in the shape of Arfield.

Hughes, who is now a coach and lecturer for the SFA, said: “Scott phoned me to pick my brains about the Rangers switch in the summer.

“I thought it would be good for him to come back to Scotland after trying his luck down south and doing well with Burnley.

“Signing for Rangers has turned out a great move for Scott. I am absolutely delighted for him.

“You can play him at right-back, right of midfield, centre midfield, right wing, left wing or just behind the striker.

“Scott is very much a team player. He is a victim of his own success really.

“His downfall is that because he is so versatile, some managers just don’t know where to play him as they don’t know his best position.

“If Steven Gerrard plays with two sitters then Scott’s best position is just behind the striker.

“The one thing Scott does have to work on is getting more goals into his game but that apart he truly is a class act.

“Gerrard will never admit this publicly but I will – I bet Scott is the first name on the Rangers manager’s teamsheet every week for his sheer effort and commitment alone.

“He has made Rangers tick this season and become the fulcrum of the team.

“He can handle the responsibility of being the No.10, especially now Ejaria has called time on his stint at Ibrox.

“However, Scott is not your traditional No.10 as he does things in a totally different way.

“He is not just the lazy, creative type – he is a tackler too. Scott has been one of Rangers’ most valuable players this season.

“He is a manager’s dream and Gerrard will know that by now. He is a dream to coach.”

In fact, the former Falkirk, Hibs and Inverness manager revealed Arfield is such a dream to coach, the Canada international still plays the game the way he was taught to more than a decade ago.

The 54-year-old said: “All the stuff I taught Scott in his early career with Falkirk was about two touches.

“We performed endless pass-and-move drills and worked tirelessly on ball retention and if you watch Scott he is still doing that to this day with Rangers, which is a credit to him.

“That is how good a player he is. You seldom come across kids like him in football who are so honest. But he is one of them.

“Everything Scott gets in the game he has deserved. Rangers are lucky to have him.”