Rangers defender Olwethu Makhanya has revealed that club icon Richard Gough reached out to offer guidance on the back of what has been an impressive start to his Ibrox career.Makhanya has been a standout performer for Derek McInnes’ side since making the move from Philadelphia Union for a fee of around £3million in the summer.In particular, the 22-year-old South African centre-back excelled in the back-to-back wins over Celtic prior to the international break.Makhanya’s form saw him win the Premiership player of the month award for September as Rangers reeled off six straight wins.Nine-in-a-row captain Gough, who grew up in South Africa, singled out Makhanya for praise in a post on social media recently.With Rangers now set to resume their domestic campaign when they host Kilmarnock this afternoon, Makhanya insists it was an honour to receive a few pointers from one of the club’s all-time greats.’It’s good to get some advice from a legend,’ he said. ‘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.’To hear from him meant a lot to me. He congratulated me for the way I have been playing and he happens to be an old friend of my agency. Rangers defender Olwethu Makhanya with his Player of the Month award for September Olwethu Makhanya impressed in Rangers’ Old Firm league win at Celtic Park’Before he 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.’After a turbulent start to the season, Rangers turned a corner prior to the international break and closed the gap on Celtic to just two points.Victory over Killie at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon would see McInnes’ side go top of the league, with Celtic playing Motherwell on Sunday afternoon.Whilst he is still very much learning his craft, Makhanya has quickly established himself as the main man at the heart of the Rangers defence.He admits that the pressure to succeed at Ibrox has been intense but is confident that he is learning to thrive under the weight of expectation.’Right now, I feel we are on a good run of form,’ he continued. ‘We are going in the right direction and we need to keep on doing the things that have been working for us.’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. I would say I have improved mentally. I am able to embrace anything I am going through.’There is pressure in every game and the younger me would maybe fall under that pressure.’Now I understand that pressure is a privilege, especially when you are playing for such a big club with all the expectations.’I always try to make sure I am in a really good place mentally. Everyone is in the right space and we know what we are doing.’I’m not sure if it’s been a better start than I expected, because I always expect to do well.’With McInnes also picking up the manager of the month award for September, Makhanya also scooped the player award to make it a clean sweep for Rangers.The South African paid tribute to his team-mates for the recognition and also to his defensive partner Manny Fernandez.’It means a lot to feel appreciated by the supporters,’ he added. ‘I can keep doing what I do. ‘It does put me a little bit under pressure but that is good.’My relationship with Manny is really good, even off the field. We understand each other a lot more now and we balance each other when we play.’I feel it’s a good partnership. 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.’As a defender especially, I can’t do it alone, so it’s all credit to my team-mates and the coaches for the work they put in.’