James Tavernier ended his Glasgow Rangers career in disappointing fashion after missing out on the final two games of the Scottish Premiership campaign.

The Light Blues captain opted not to play in Wednesday's loss to Hibernian after Danny Rohl told him that he would be on the bench instead of being able to lead the team out one last time.

Rohl later explained: "My job is to make decisions, who starts. There's a huge difference between emotional decisions and decisions with emotions.

"I was clear and open and it was also my wish and suggestion that he gets a proper goodbye on Wednesday. But also at this time I always said to him, 'it could be you start, it could be you come from the bench'."

He added: "It was always in my mind to give him this goodbye. I always respect Tav. We had a great communication, I was honest to him, I was honest to him in this case as well."

Aside from that drama, John Souttar was handed the armband for the win over Falkirk on Saturday, and that is not something that should happen on a regular basis next season.

Why Rangers must not make John Souttar the next captain

Whilst the Scotland international may have a presence in the group and may be well-liked behind the scenes, Rangers must not make the centre-back their replacement for Tavernier as the new captain.

Souttar ended the campaign as an unused substitute in five of the last seven matches in the Premiership, starting games against Dundee United and Falkirk, and the Gers conceded two goals in each of his last five appearances in the division.

The Light Blues, simply, look far too weak defensively when the 29-year-old flop, whose contract expires in 2027, starts at the heart of the defence.

It has been seven matches since Rangers last kept a clean sheet with Souttar as a starter, which is further evidence to suggest that he should be nowhere near the starting line-up next season.

Now, the Gers should not appoint a captain who is not good enough to be a regular starter. That is why Rohl must look elsewhere for Tavernier's heir.

The Rangers star who should be James Tavernier's replacement as captain

Instead of giving the armband to Souttar, the German head coach should give Emmanuel Fernandez the captaincy to take his game and leadership to the next level next season.

The Nigeria international recently called out himself and his teammates by saying that the team needed to have more fight in them to win the Premiership title ahead of Celtic.

Fernandez, who is reportedly valued at £35m by Rangers, was willing to speak out and take accountability for the lack of fight in the side, which is a good first step into being a leader within the group.

Whilst he is starting to show signs of leadership with his comments off the pitch about the mentality of the squad, the 24-year-old star led by example on the pitch with his performances in the Premiership this season.

The summer signing from Peterborough significantly outperformed Souttar as a central defender for the Scottish giants, proving himself to be far more reliable and dominant at the heart of the defence.

Therefore, Fernandez should be a nailed-on starter for Rohl in the 2026/27 campaign as one of the starting centre-backs, which should be a prerequisite for being the captain, because he is far more effective than the Scotland international

Giving the 24-year-old the captaincy could give him the extra responsibility that he needs to take his game to the next level, as there would be pressure on his shoulders to lead and set an example to his teammates.

This could be a vital next step in his development as a player and help him to emerge as a superstar in Scotland and at Ibrox next season, replacing Tavernier as the captain of the club, which is why he looks to be the clear choice to take the armband.