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Dean Furman joined Rangers as an Academy player in the summer of 2006 and went on to enjoy a successful professional career heavily influenced by the lessons he learned during his stint in Glasgow.
The South-African midfielder, now 37, arrived just as Paul Le Guen’s era began and was initially viewed as the French manager’s first signing.
That wasn’t the case, of course, as he was recruited by the club’s youth department from Chelsea but his attitude, work-rate, intelligence and composure in the middle of the park immediately impressed the Light Blues coaching staff.
He captained and scored as Rangers hammered Celtic 5-0 in the 2007 Scottish Youth Cup Final at Hampden and he was part of a talented squad that included Steven Lennon – who bagged a hat-trick in the game – Andrew Shinnie, John Fleck, Jamie Ness, Andy Little and Ross Perry.
He continued to progress at the training ground the following season and legendary manager Walter Smith handed Dean his first-team debut in a 3-1 win over Dundee Utd at Ibrox, just a few days before the 2008 UEFA Cup Final in Manchester.
He played most of the second-half after replacing Kevin Thomson in the middle of the park and it was an experience he recalls fondly.
It was a dream come true for the Cape-Town born player but sadly it would be his only competitive appearance for Rangers.
He had been in and around the first-team set-up and travelled with Walter’s squad for pre-season training in Germany ahead of the 2008/09 campaign.
However, it was another Rangers legend – Stuart McCall – who gave him the chance of regular football a few months later with a loan move to Bradford when he was manager at Valley Parade.
He was a regular in McCall’s side that season and although he returned to Ibrox with vital experience and a full campaign under his belt, Rangers had recruited the likes of Steven Davis and Pedro Mendes so his chances of playing would have been limited.
Furman was offered a new contract to stay in Scotland but he had a taste of pro football and wanted more.
He left Rangers in 2009 for Oldham then Doncaster where he flourished and captained both sides before a life-changing opportunity to play for SuperSport United in his homeland came up in 2015.
By that time he was already captain of South Africa – he won 58 caps and played in the African Cup of Nations – and was a hero at the Pretoria-based club.
He skippered his side in 7 cup finals, winning 4 of them, before returning to England in August 2020 to join Carlisle just as Covid hit.
Furman featured in almost 500 games during his 16-years as a professional and he now works for the PFA in England where he passes on his wealth of knowledge to current players.
In a wide-ranging interview as he showed his support for The Rangers Youth Development Company – who have donated more than £12 million to the club’s Academy to date – Dean says his experiences in Glasgow helped shape his career and he will always consider it a great honour to be at Rangers.
Reflecting on his spell at Ibrox, he said: “Brendan Rogers was my youth manager at Chelsea and actually sent me up to Celtic for a week.
“Just after that Rangers were in contact and I was offered the opportunity to go there for a week and they offered me a contract.
“I was absolutely blown away by the club. To have the opportunity to join a club the size of Rangers was phenomenal.
“It was incredible and I signed a few days after Paul Le Guen was announced as manager.
“It was made out as if I was his first signing but in reality I was a youth team signing.
“I absolutely loved my time in Glasgow, it was just an incredible few years to be involved with the club.
“To learn at the Rangers Academy and then be involved with the first-team, train, travel and be around them with the level of player like Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch, Kevin Thomson and Charlie Adam was just incredible.
“It was such a fantastic learning experience to watch these guys at close quarters and it was invaluable to my development.
“To train with the first-team under Walter Smith was something I am really lucky to have done because I know how highly-regarded he is up there.
“To work under him, even for a short period, was incredibly lucky.
“I remember making my Rangers debut against Dundee Utd like it was yesterday.
“Thommo walked off with a boot in his hand and I didn’t think I would be the one to replace him but Walter put me on and I had no time to get nervous or have a bit of a wobble.
“Before I knew it Thommo was off the pitch and I was running on.
“I remember my first touch and I got a round of applause from the fans and it was probably one of the best feelings of my career.
“I always remember going home that night with a feeling you can’t describe. I had wanted it so much and had achieved it.
“Now I wanted more of it but it was an incredible moment.
“It was unbelievable and there was a lap of honour with the players after the game ahead of the UEFA Cup Final and I had the opportunity to play my part on the day.
“What a season for a young lad to be involved in.
“Just to learn from better and established players and to get the opportunity to see how they operated, trained, handled themselves in the gym and the canteen was invaluable.
“To be around them was fundamental to the rest of my career.
“I have so many good memories of my time at Rangers and scoring in the 2007 SFA Youth Cup Final was definitely one.
“One of the regrets I have in my career was not getting enough goals but that one was pretty special. Steven Lennon scored a hat-trick and that often pops up on social media.
“He put one on a plate for me at the end so I could join the party.
“Scoring at Hampden and lifting the trophy that night was fantastic. We had a really strong group.
“You had to win all the time and it was a real eye-opener for me.
“We were always pushing each other at the Academy and there was a real pathway to the first-team.
“We were all desperate to play, be on the bench and play for the first-team and we all had a level of competitiveness.
“The likes of Steven Smith and Charlie Adam had gone there from where we were and we wanted it too.
“We always used to run round to see if our name was on the list to train with the squad and that is always something I remember because if you were selected, you were in the manager’s good books.
“You could see the level Barry Ferguson was at and I wanted to test myself against him in training. I was just a young lad but it was an incredible opportunity.
“So many players I played with went on to have really good careers.
“Coisty used to train with us too and he had an amazing knack of putting the ball in the net. To be around that environment was great for my development.
“It was a massive part of shaping me as a player.
“Durranty always brought a smile to my face, what a character.
“It was tongue in cheek and fun but when he sat you down the experience he had to pass on and the level of advice was second to none.
“I remember playing a few pre-season games including one against Liverpool at Ibrox and I thought now was my chance to push on.
“I was feeling great then the club signed Steven Davis and Pedro Mendes so at that stage I realised that’s what top clubs do. They bring in top class players all the time.
“I had to go and get regular first-team football and I was incredibly lucky that Stuart McCall gave me that chance at Bradford.
“With his Rangers links he had watched some games and took a liking to me and I look back on that season there as one of my favourites.
“I played 30 plus games and was a regular starter and it was massive to learn from Stuart, another Rangers legend, and midfielder.
“I loved working under him.
“I had an offer from Rangers to extend my contract but Oldham came in for me and it was a good move to continue my development.
“Paul Dickov named me as captain and I played a lot of games there and at Doncaster.
“Then the opportunity came to go to play in South Africa with SuperSport.
“I had been playing with the national team for some time and it was great to go there and experience a different dressing room and a different culture.
“I stayed there for five years and it was a different style of football. The heat was very different from Glasgow!
“It was a real life experience and my wife and I look back on it with incredible fondness. It was an amazing experience. We were domestic cup kings at that time.
“We won four trophies and got to the final of the Confederations Cup – which is the equivalent of the Europa League over here – and to be the captain playing a heavy part in that was something I will always cherish.
“My first call up for South Africa came when I was at Rangers against Australia at Loftus Road.
“I never got on and didn’t hear anything for another five years so I thought my opportunity had come and gone.
“Then I got a call from the new manager asking me to join the squad to play against Brazil.
“I thought if I could get 30 seconds against Brazil it would be something to tell the grandkids but I trained really well that week and I was named in the starting eleven.
“What an experience. It was an array of superstars like Neymar, David Luiz and Hulk when I looked down the line during the national anthems – what a way to start your international career!
“It blossomed and flourished from there. I was probably different to other players in the squad already as I was disciplined and happy to just sit in front of the back four, clean up and do the dirty work.
“It really worked for me and I had 10 amazing years there. The high moments had a different feel to club football, you could feel the elation throughout the country and it was the ultimate.
“I got the captain’s armband but it was bittersweet because Senzo Meyiwa was shot and killed. It was an awful story and bittersweet to get the captaincy in those circumstances but in terms of leading out your country it was such a pinch me moment and something I take great pride in.
“I won nearly 60 caps for South Africa and I was very proud of that.
“For the last 18 months I have worked for the PFA in England and it gives me a fantastic opportunity to keep involved with football representing players from the Premier League and EFL and our former members.
“It is a fantastic, interesting and rewarding role. Especially when we can help players through difficult periods and we see them flourish on the other side.
“We are there for the players in good times and bad.
“I still follow Rangers’ results. I’m a Chelsea fan but I follow all the clubs I played for and I always tune in to watch Rangers in big matches like the Old Firm derby.
“So many players ask me about my time at Rangers and I still have my signed shirt from my debut.
“It was one of my proudest moments and to do it in a league match that really mattered in front of over 50,000 supporters was perfect.
“The lessons I learned at Rangers always stay with me and I remember Coisty and Durranty telling me there were no friendly matches here.
“I took that attitude into training and matches for the rest of my career.
“It was fantastic advice. Winning is everything and that’s what I took from being a Rangers player.
“I was amongst greatness with exceptional footballers. To be in that environment and to have that upbringing and experience at Rangers was a massive part in shaping the career that I had.”
Dean’s career development was assisted by annual RYDC donations to the Rangers Academy and more than £12 million has already been provided.
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