In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, Bluenose Don Hutchison admits the decision to shun his boyhood heroes still haunts him

Don Hutchison once resisted the lure of Rangers - and has regretted it for the rest of his life.

In 2001, despite having an emotional attachment to Ibrox through his dad, he rejected Dick Advocaat in favour of a return to West Ham. And the former Scotland man hasn’t lived it down since.

That’s why he’s so intrigued by the dilemma current national team star, Lewis Ferguson, might face next year. The Bologna midfielder has made no secret of the fact he fancies a move to his boyhood club at some point. And everyone knows how much Rangers gaffer Derek McInnes admires the 27-year-old.

The Ibrox club made enquiries about Ferguson’s availability in the summer but his price tag - after an impressive World Cup - was out of Gers’ range. That didn’t stop the player himself reiterating a desire to one day follow in his dad Derek and uncle Barry’s footsteps by pulling on a blue shirt. But to do that, Ferguson would have to leave Italy behind.

And Hutchison, who is now TNT Sport’s main co-commentator for their Serie A coverage, says that won’t be easy. He understands the pull of Rangers because he felt it himself 25 years ago. But Hutchison, who rates Ferguson highly and believes there are NO weaknesses in his game, says he’s envious of the British players in Italy’s top flight.

In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, he said: “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.

“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.

"I only had two years there first time around so maybe in my mind it was a case of having unfinished business. But now that I’m retired, I know that I should have signed for Rangers. I like to think I’d have scored goals from midfield in Scotland and done well at Rangers.

“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’s playing at top stadiums and competing to play in Europe.

“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. Because of his family links, it’s something he’ll probably look at in the future.

"But when I’m on Serie A duty, we talk about the Scottish and English boys and the life they’ve got over there. 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.”

There’s a feeling amongst Scotland supporters that Ferguson hasn’t excelled for the national side in the same way he has for Bologna. In his second season in Italy he was named as Serie A’s best midfielder and linked with moves to Juve and AC Milan.

But a serious knee injury curtailed his progress and - despite being Scotland’s best player at the World Cup - some fans in his homeland remain unconvinced. But Hutchison is having none of it. Having watched him on a regular basis in Italy, he says if Rangers and McInnes could make the move happen - they’d be getting a player at the top of his game.

He said: “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.

“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.

“He counter-presses well. He can run hard, he can fight. When things aren’t going well for your team, he can graft and chase the ball. But he can also play as well. He’s got so many attributes so I don’t see a player who has gone backwards at Bologna - I think he’s playing really well.”

Hutchison enjoyed a good relationship on the pitch with Barry Ferguson, Lewis’ uncle when they played together for Scotland. He sees similarities in his nephew - but admits former Rangers captain Barry was in a different league. Hutchison says if Ferguson was playing now, he’d be worth more than £100million.

He said: “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.

“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.”