O’Neill says loan star Davis can’t fail at Ibrox

MICHAEL O’NEILL has reassured Rangers fans that there is ‘zero risk’ to the club’s acquisition of Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis.

Southampton loan star Davis had an underwhelming second debut for the Ibrox club in midweek, starting as Steven Gerrard’s side lost 2-1 at Kilmarnock.

Davis’ national coach O’Neill acknowledges that, at 34, the player has returned to Glasgow a different creature, but believes he is actually in better shape than when he left in 2012.

He said: ‘There’s no risk to bringing Steven in at this age. To me it’s zero-risk. He wants to be there.

‘Rangers have a top player on their hands and they’re getting him at a good time in his career. He’s focused.

‘Watch him play against Bosnia in the first game of the Nations League — Davo was up against (Miralem) Pjanic, a £100million player for Juventus and he was brilliant.’

Despite his age, O’Neill believes Davis has returned a stronger player for his time in the Premier League.

‘The Steven Davis who has come back to Ibrox is physically different from the Steven Davis who left,’ he explained. ‘I look at him now and he is a different player, he trains differently. His physical fitness is far higher.’