Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill feels that Steven Davis needs a little more to time to settle down properly at Rangers in his second stint with the club.
Davis, who secured a return to Rangers during the winter transfer window, is on loan from Southampton until the end of the season.
Despite the hype surrounding his arrival at Ibrox, the midfielder has struggled to make an impression after being severely restricted in terms of playing time under Steven Gerrard.
The 34-year-old has made just 11 appearances for Rangers since arriving in January. with six of those coming as a substitute.
And although Davis has yet to make the desired impact at Rangers, O’Neill has backed the Northern Ireland captain by explaining that sometimes players need more time to settle down at their clubs.
The Northern Irishman also admitted he is hopeful that Davis can replicate the kind of form he displayed for the national team earlier in the season, ahead of their European Championship qualifiers this week.
"Steven's performances in September, October and November for Northern Ireland were of a high standard so hopefully he will bring that form with him”, O’Neill was quoted as saying by the Evening Times.
“Sometimes players need a little bit of time to settle in with their clubs.”
Davis is expected to lead Northern Ireland when they kick-off their Group C qualifying campaign against Estonia at Windsor Park, before facing Belarus at the same venue three days later.
