Hutchison, who "regrets" not joining Rangers when he had the chance, believes Ferguson might face a similar decision.

He said: "I was unbelievably close to joining Rangers myself. Advocaat was the manager around 2001, and I was leaving Sunderland. [Daily Record]

"It was Dick and Rangers or Glenn Roeder and West Ham."

He chose West Ham over Rangers, a decision he now regrets. "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.

"Now that I'm retired, I know that I should have signed for Rangers."

The former midfielder sees a similar situation arising for Ferguson, who has expressed a desire to follow in the footsteps of his father, Derek, and uncle, Barry, by playing for his boyhood club.

However, the 27-year-old has carved out a successful career in Serie A with Bologna, which Hutchison believes will give him a lot to think about before making a decision.

"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."

Hutchison understands the appeal of Italian football and lifestyle, having covered Serie A extensively. He admits he is envious of the British players currently playing there.

"When I'm on Serie A duty, we talk about the Scottish and English boys and the life they've got over there. It's not a bad life in Italy.

"So Lewis might be happy at Bologna and want to stay there."

If Ferguson eventually decides to make the switch, Hutchison believes Rangers would be getting a top-class midfielder. "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.

"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."