Lawrence Shankland was old enough to know better yet, mercifully, still young enough to recognise the error of his ways.By the summer of 2017, the forward’s four years at Aberdeen had come and gone without a single goal for the Dons.The promise he’d shown in his formative years at Queen’s Park had been seen in flashes throughout a string of loan spells in the lower divisions, but Shankland seemed unwilling or unable to apply himself properly in order to cut it at his parent club.The moment when he realised that talent alone is never enough hit him hard. Freed by the Dons when season 2017-18 began, remarkably, he did not have a club.Had it not been for Ian McCall bringing him to Ayr United, then in League One, that September, Shankland might well have fallen off the radar.Realising what could have slipped through his fingers, he showed a renewed focus and professionalism, prioritising his fitness and intent on maximising his potential. Lawrence Shankland took time to reflect on his journey to the Rangers armbandOnce the penny had dropped, he became a force of nature in the penalty box, scoring goals freely with Ayr, Dundee United and Hearts, following a left-field move to Beerschot in Belgium.Older and wiser, he led by example at Tynecastle and took the team to within touching distance of the title last term. Now reunited with his former manager Derek McInnes at Rangers — ironically, also his manager at Pittodrie — he spent yesterday posing for photographs after being handed the captain’s armband again.The honour of leading his boyhood heroes is even more thrilling for the circuitous journey his career has taken.‘Obviously, those experiences were huge turning points in my career,’ he reflected. ‘But when you’re at a crossroads in your career, you’re always looking for the next opportunity to try and show yourself and improve and do things better than you did before.‘I think that’s probably been a valuable lesson I picked up pretty young. It probably was a lesson for me to do things properly every single day. Week in, week out — do as much as you can.‘Nobody can be 100 per cent every day. But you do as much as you can. And every time you show up to work, you turn up with the right attitude.‘When I got the opportunity when I was younger to go back to learn and play football again, I was just so grateful. That grounding obviously does help. You work hard and you get moments like this. You get to lead a club like Rangers. It’s obviously huge.’From the football scrapheap to the captain of Glasgow Rangers? A story which should surely inspire any aspiring player who finds their career heading down a cul-de-sac.Shankland added: ‘Especially at this time of the season, players can find themselves out of the game. It does become a difficult time for people. New Rangers boss Derek McInnes had no hesitation in making Shankland his skipper at Ibrox‘But if it can be a lesson for any player out there, any boy who’s in a sticky position right now, hopefully my journey can help.’While the experience of fulfilling the role at Hearts will stand him in good stead, Shankland does not take the responsibility lightly. He’s acutely aware of the club legends to have gone before him. Where possible, he intends to pick their brains.‘It is maybe something that I could do,’ he said. ‘You want to buy into the experience of people who have done it and if I get that opportunity to speak to people I will. Barry Ferguson and Lee McCulloch are still around the club so if I bump into them, they will be giving me advice along the way.‘He (Ferguson) was always my Rangers hero growing up. Maybe that’s because he was getting the opportunity to lift the trophies at the end of the season when they won them. That feeling is one you want as a captain.’He appreciates that it can sometimes feel like a burden. James Tavernier became something of a punch-bag for some supporters for apologising after one calamity too many.There’s no hiding place at Rangers, but Shankland is comfortable with the all-encompassing nature of the place he now calls home.‘For the last two and a half years, all I’ve known is being captain of a club,’ he added. ‘It’s something I’ve enjoyed. I took the responsibility. Shankland had to rebuild his career after rejection by Aberdeen, starting with Ayr United‘Of course, there’s scrutiny when things get difficult and people look to the captain to answer up for the squad. That’s something I’ll need to be responsible for, but the flip side of the rewards of being a successful captain at this club outweigh it by miles. So, it’s something I’m really looking forward to.‘We’ll need a lot of leaders in the camp. Dan (Neil) has been a captain at Sunderland and I’ve had experience of working with Cammy (Devlin) who is a true leader in everything he does. So, it won’t just be myself, there will be a core group that leads the changing room. I’ll be at the forefront of it and I’m pleased with what I’ve seen so far.’Just short of 11 weeks since his hopes of lifting the trophy with Hearts were dashed at the last by Celtic, Shankland is hoping that the first step on the road to redemption can be taken at Tannadice. There are no prizes for guessing how he wants this next episode to end.‘It would obviously be huge (to win the title) and it’s something we’re going to set out to try and do,’ he stated.‘Coming into the season, that’s the expectation. You come to football club like this, you want to go and win the league. There’s no shying away from that.‘It’s a responsibility that we accept as players. And obviously myself as a captain now, I’ll need to bleed that into the changing room.‘We missed out last season. But I’m looking forward and hopefully can go one closer this year.’