Rangers star on legend reaching out to him on social media

The South African international joined Rangers from Philadelphia Union in July and has become a key figure in Derek McInnes' side.

Makhanya's performances in last month's Old Firm victories over Celtic drew widespread praise, including from Gough.

The former Rangers captain reached out to Makhanya on social media after the 3-0 win at Ibrox, congratulating the defender on his performance.

Gough also warned him about the unique challenge of playing at Celtic Park, describing success in front of a hostile home crowd as one of the true tests of being a Rangers player.

Makhanya heeded the advice and delivered another commanding display as Rangers secured a 1-0 victory at Parkhead. His form earned him the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month award for September.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's visit of Kilmarnock, Makhanya said: "It's good to get some advice from a legend. We spoke a little bit on Instagram.

"I didn't know much about him as a player but I did some research and saw how successful he was for this club. He congratulated me for the way I have been playing, and he happens to be an old friend of my agency.

"Before he even reached out to me, I knew about him and he was telling me about his own journey. He gave me advice on what to keep doing and all of that.

"To hear from him meant a lot to me."

Rangers head into the Kilmarnock clash on the back of six consecutive wins in all competitions and sit just two points behind Celtic in the Premiership title race.

Makhanya believes the back-to-back victories over their Glasgow rivals have provided further evidence of the squad's growing confidence. He said: "Celtic is one of the more difficult teams in the league and being able to beat them twice tells you a lot about the quality we have in the team.

"That gives us more belief to keep on going. Right now I feel we are on a good run of form.

"We are going in the right direction, and we need to keep on doing the things that have been working for us."

Despite his individual recognition, Makhanya was quick to credit those around him for his strong start to the campaign. He added: "It is always good to get individual recognition, but football is a team sport.

"I feel like I was able to get this award because of everyone around me. I can't do it alone, so it's all credit to my team-mates and the coaches for the work they put in.

"Everyone is in the right space, and we know what we are doing."