Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton believes that his old club should push through with a move for Charlton's Alfie Doughty as he can be the long-term replacement for Borna Barisic.

The left-sided Addicks player is out of contract in the summer, so he is now allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of England.

And, it has been suggested that the Ibrox outfit will compete with bitter rivals Celtic to land the 21-year-old.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton urged Steven Gerrard to tie up a deal for Doughty as he believes he has the ability to be a regular for the Glasgow outfit in the years to come.

"I think he’s a he’s an excellent player, he’s a great talent, he’s also very young, still got a lot to learn. He’s left-sided so you wonder if they’re looking into the future and thinking: ‘Well, maybe Barisic or someone like that could be moving on in the future,’ and there’s a replacement."

The two Scottish sides won't have a straight run for the player though, as Stoke City are thought to have already made a bid for Doughty during the transfer window.

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The verdict

You can't argue with Hutton's assessment here, as Doughty is one of the brightest talents in the EFL and has so much potential.

His attacking threat means he would be ideally suited to playing in a team like Rangers, although they will hope that Barisic sticks around for a few more years yet!

Ultimately, Doughty has a big decision to make in the coming weeks, and it will be interesting to see where he ends up.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.